Divergence
by Aotsfan
Summary: What if the Kazekage wasn't apart of Orochimaru's plan at the Chuunin Exam? How will this affect the lives of those involved? Read and Find out. Rated for safety. Naruto trains for the finals while Temari tries to force him out!
1. Escape From Death

**AN: I don't own Naruto and I'm not making money so don't sue me please!**

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_The Village Hidden in the Sand is home to an odd mixture of people and ninjas. When the village was first founded the harshness of their environment ensured that only the absolutely strongest made it into their teens. This gave those that did survive and their offspring an extreme strength and viciousness, but this is an adaptation that was developed solely for survival and it hides how much pain those that did survive feel for their lost villagers and ninjas. Thus the ninja of Suna, though few in number, protect themselves and all those they care about against all the pain they can with that inborn strength. They are a dangerous enemy and could make perfect allies for Konoha._

_Yondaime Hokage- Tactical and Diplomatic Lecture to Konoha's Jounin: the Hidden Villages series- Suna_

_**Chapter 1- Escape from Death**_

The Yondaime Kazekage- Subaku no Kanbei- sat poised and watchful in the conference room ready to respond with intelligence and passion at a moments notice. He had been Kazekage for almost thirteen years now. He had risen to that title through a mix of his noble decent from the Shodai Kazekage and his exemplary service during the Third Great Ninja War as well as political skill. He had fought hard to rise so high and had left many enemies dead or broken in his wake and even a couple of friends. After he had attained his position he fought to expand his power, but though few would believe it he had not done it for himself or even his family, at least not all for those reasons, mostly it had been for his village and his country. He had proved it by even sacrificing those he loved most although that had been forced on him at the start of his reign.

He had battled hardliners on his council ever since his rise to power. Petty fools who reached farther than their abilities could grasp. They were however able early on to force decisions on Kanbei by manipulating the well meaning and naïve civilian members of Suna's ruling council. Unlike the Hokage the Kazekage did not have the ability to make his word law… not yet anyway. One of those awful decisions had been to seal the demon Shukaku into a new vessel. How he had hated the idea. None of the vessels for that demon had ever been useful long. He had also feared that the vessel would come from a family that opposed him. That was when his wife's brother, Yashamaru, suggested that their own child be used. Though the idea horrified him his wife managed to convince him that it was the best way to approach the situation. It would turn the hardliners' plans to his own purposes and increase his influence.

His wife had shared his vision for the future and had supported him in everyway. Even though theirs had been an arranged marriage they loved each other very much. She was wise beyond her years and Kanbei missed her council almost as much as he missed the love they shared. Kanbei was reserved, cold, and quite. He was not one to show much emotion but that did not mean he did not feel. People felt that Kanbei had merely used his wife to further his own career, but if that were so why had he not remarried someone to help his political ambitions? That was a question that few were perceptive enough to ask. His wife had sought out the old fuuinjutsu and kinjustu mistress Chiyo for the purpose of finding a better method of sealing the one tailed beast. Chiyo discovered that the previous seals had been too straightforward. They had all been designed to give the vessel almost constant access to Shukaku's power, but by giving them easy access to the demon's power they also gave the demon easy access to the vessels' minds.

Chiyo devised a seal that would give the vessel a subconscious connection to the demon's power and would set up a kind of pseudo "barrier" personality based on his wife's that would throw off the demon's hold until he matured enough and developed his will to be strong enough to keep himself sane. When it came time for Gaara to be born Chiyo performed the sealing perfectly, but she had left out a important factor in her calculations. That being she did not devise a seal to protect Kanbei's wife during the sealing and that was what had led to failure. When the Shukaku's essence entered his wife it quickly drove her mad, and thus corrupted the presence that would protect Gaara's mind. Madly his wife cursed their youngest and their village. Deep down Kanbei knew that somewhere in his son was the uncorrupted imprint of his mother's mind why else would the sand protect Gaara so fircely when the Shukaku was kept at bay most of the time?

The lose of his wife devastated him and his family. To protect his two remaining children while he waited to see the outcome on Gaara's mind he placed the boy under the care of his wife's brother. Kanbei hated the simpering man and the feeling was mutual. His brother-in-law had never accepted the fact that his sister could love someone more than him. As Gaara grew Kanbei observed him closely. The boy tried hard to fit in but his powers were greatly out of control. One day he watched as Gaara tried to apologize to another child he had hurt and saw his failure. However, Kanbei felt the boy was stable enough and would soon take a hand in trying to teach the boy to control his abilities and reunite him with his siblings. His brother-in-law demolished those plans however when he attempted to kill Gaara, failed, lied about his mother, and then told the boy it had been done on his orders. A damn lie!

Gaara's mind had been broken since then, and he became a thousand times more dangerous ever since. The council had hired other assassins since then and had forced him to do the same on several occasions. Every time he waited torn between his desire to see his son live and have a chance to overcome his madness or be released from his pain. Gaara always survived, it was in his blood. After a time Kanbei was able to convince Gaara that if he became a ninja he would have plenty of strong victims to sate his bloodlust, and he would be a ninja as long as he protected his teammates, his brother and sister. Gaara had told him he would only watch over them until he was strong enough to kill the Kazekage and then he would destroy everyone in order to "prove my existence." Kanbei prayed he could find an alternative to that outcome and soon.

So that was the way things had been for the past two years. His children had been on one team and the three were well on their way to becoming powerful ninja. Temari and Kankuro would one day become important leaders for Suna. Kanbei hoped that he would be able to at least change Gaara for the better and allow him to have as normal a life possible for a Jinchuuriki. Not that it would ever be an easy life but it would be better than what he lived now.

All these thoughts and memories swirled around the Kazekage's head as he sat in on the most important meeting of his tenure as the Kage of Suna. He was sitting in Konoha's private council chamber with his right hand man, former teammate, and protector and Sensei to his children Baki informing the Hokage of his former pupil Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha. All of the council and the Hokage had listened to his report and not a word had been spoken for almost three unbroken minutes.

Finally after silently staring at the table for so long the Hokage spoke, "Well this is interesting to say the least."

Danzo, the old war hawk, spoke slowly, "This is not a joking matter. Who knows what twisted plans your former student might have come up with while he has been in exile. He could have caused massive amounts of damage to us before we defeated his forces."

The Kazekage was slightly annoyed that Danzo felt that both Suna and Oto together would still be defeated by Konoha, but he knew that Suna had been slow in recovering from the last great war and had only retained its status because of its alliance with Konoha and the fact that all but the other four great countries were just now getting back up to pre-war status.

The Hokage smiled at Danzo and spoke in a patronizing tone, "But Danzo we _did_ learn of the attack thanks to our ally the Kazekage."

The Kazekage gave a small bow of the head to his counterpart.

The Hokage's former teammate Koharu spoke, "Indeed, but I would like to know how exactly he came by these plans." All of the council turned towards Kanbei and waited.

Kanbei spoke in an even confident voice, "I was contacted by an envoy from Oto two weeks ago and asked to go and meet his leader concerning a "business proposition which needed the utmost secrecy." I informed the ambassador that I was to busy to go and said that if the leader wanted to see me he would have to come and meet me in Suna. The man then said his leader was too busy to go that far and wanted to know if we could meet in Wind country at near the border with Bird Country. I was intrigued and we decided on the number of guards we would bring and the exact location and time. One week later the time for the meeting had arrived and I was feeling very nervous which was strange as I shouldn't of had to be afraid of anyone form such a new village as Oto. I erred on the side of caution and created a shadow clone of myself and hid a mile or so away from the meeting place. Imagine my clones surprise when the leader arrived with a group of four guards and revealed himself to be Orochimaru. He explained his plan to me, which I have told you about, I told him I would consider his plan and get back to him as soon as possible. It was at that point he laughed and said I had already agreed to it. His guards killed my men and he attacked my clone. Needless to say when I received its memories I retreated post-haste. I was able to evade several close calls while Orochimaru and his men tracked thinks in part to my knowledge of the desert."

The room was silent for a moment before Nara Shikaku spoke in his usual lazy manner, "It is possible that those plans are fake and he merely wanted to have you assassinated."

The Kazekage spoke back, "Why then would he not just have attacked me before he revealed himself?"

Kanbei knew that question had merely been for the civilians on the council who might have been thinking the same thing, and the Nara's way of testing him.

Homura, the Sandaime's other teammate spoke, "Now that Orochimaru plans have been exposed perhaps he will abandon them, and we can use that time to strengthen ourselves and increase our knowlege of Oto."

Danzo shook his head, "That is unlikely. The fact that he could afford to wait this long to try and bring in outside aid means that the attack is going to take place one way or another."

The Hokage nodded gravel, "Danzo is correct. Orochimaru is so arrogant that he thinks anything he plans is as close to foolproof as anything can be."

Shikaku spoke again, "It is possible that Orochimaru wanted you to escape, or that he has other villages helping him and just omitted them when he was meeting with you."

Yamanaka Inoichi spoke, "Or the Kazekage could really be working with Orochimaru and this is just supposed to throw us off."

Annoyed the Kazekage spoke, "What purpose would putting you on your guard serve?" he then turned to the Nara head and acknowleged, "It would not be beyond imagination that he could have other allies."

The Hokage spoke, "Orochimaru has no allies only pawns to be spent. Whoever will help him will be destroyed one way or another. Now Kazekage-dono how can we repay your friendship and honor?"

Kanbei spoke, "We have been at peace with each other since we signed our truce during the last great war. A war I must mention that we only joined because our Sandaime wished to fight it, and when he disappeared we had no place it. For the last thirteen years we have been allies. Unequal allies because my village wished to show that we had no hard fillings against yours even though you defeated us during the war and I think we have done that. Now I wish to re-forge our alliance. I wish for my village to be treated as what we are one of the Five Great Nations. I do not wish to challenge Konoha's clear position as the greatest, but I want my people and ninja to be treated with respect. I want three things and on two of those points I am willing to negotiate to what extent those two things are agreed upon. Those two things being a more open sharing of intelligence between ourselves about outside foes, and more free trade between our two villages. The last point I must be firm and not budge on, Konoha must no longer offer cheaper mission rates to any of Wind countries nobility. Ours is the only country you allow that to happen with, and that includes your enemy countries as well."

The council was quite for a few moments before the Hokage spoke once again, "You have every right to be angry about the pricing of missions, and after the Chuunin Exam we shall rework our alliance as quickly and as fairly as possible. On this I give you my word. Now there is something else I would like to tell us."

The Kazekage spoke, "And that is?"

The Kazekage was cut off by a shocked Homura, "Wait we will still have the exams? Knowing that there is a trap?"

"The Hokage chuckled, "Knowing there is a trap is the first step in escaping it. If we cancelled the exams it would be a server blow to our prestige, and it would raise many questions. However if we can destroy Orochimaru and whoever might aid him and still pull off the exams then we will show the world what our Will of Fire means. Now back to the Kazekage's question." He face Kanbei and looked him dead in the eye, "I am sure Orochimaru promised you quite a lot for your cooperation, and asked for something seemingly small in return. He also probably told you that there was one thing you had which would ensure the success of the attack… what were those two things?"

Kanbei's eyebrows rose in shock before he allowed himself a small chuckle, "I see you still live up to your reputation as The Professor Hokage-sama. Orochimaru wanted only a small chuck of land from our supposed conquest, which I would decide on, and he wanted to make sure that Uchiha Saskue was turned over to him relatively unharmed."

This cause quite a stir among the council who all began to mutter among themselves until the Hokage once again questioned.

"What were you to provide?"

Kanbei held back for a moment, "By telling you this I am giving up an advantage in the Chuunin Exams and I hope you can appreciate that given you all know how imprtant that is. My youngest son Gaara is the Jinchuuriki for the Ichibi."

At that announcement the room was once again plunged into silence.

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**AN: Hello all this is my second Naruto fic and I hope you will enjoy it. This Chapter is just to set the stage so bear with me. This will be a Naruto Temari fic, but that won't be the only paring. No bashing please. I don't plan on doing any either. Anyway please Read and Review, and please give some _constructiv_e comments only... or pure I love either one will work. lol. No Flames please.**


	2. First Impressions

**AN: Hello everybody! Before I start I need to point out a mistake I made when I first uploaded the story. I originally uploaded the first chapter and then went to publish immediately but as I was getting ready to save and publish the story I realized that I hadn't edited the chapter. So I went back and did what I needed to do and then went back to upload the story. This is where I made my mistake instead of placing the story as Naruto and Temari I place it as Naruto and Sakura. Naru/Saku is my favorite paring overall and I think the change was subconscious. Anyway I changed the filter back to Temari and Naruto later the same day and I hope that not too many people are confused. I apologize to all the Naruto and Sakura fans out there who will be disappointed and I will understand any anger you might feel. That said I hope you continue to read if you think the story is interesting at all, but I understand if you decide not to. Thanks for reading what I have put up so far either way. **

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_In my silence I was ignored by those that knew nothing of me. In my mind it never occurred to me that the many strangers I came into contact with were behaving normally. I just saw more individuals that didn't care about me or my pain and it angered me that they felt nothing or thought nothing about me. I wallowed in that rage and let it corrupt my mind and soul, and eventually I didn't care if they saw me or not because I decieded I would force them to see me. Then I met Him and everything changed. He alone reached out to me in my darkness, and it wasn't just because he saw himself in me and it wasn't just because he was lonely as well. He did so only because he truly wanted to be friends with me. When we discovered our common pasts and paths I was finally fully freed of my rage and I loved him as I had once only loved myself. Little did I know the day we met that I had met my other brother, and made the best friend that one could ever ask for._

_-Entry in the Journal of the Godaime Kazekage_

Sabaku no Temari sat in the Hokage Tower's upper reception room waiting for her father and sensei to finish their meeting with the Konoha council. The meeting had been ongoing for about three hours, but Temari wasn't fazed at all. She had grown up waiting for meetings to be finished; such was the life of a child of a Kage of one of the five great elemental villages. It was something one got used to and learned to be patient because of it. Temari had learned that in spades and used that knowledge to great effect in all aspects of her life. Even her brother Kankuro was calm during these kinds of meetings, even if he hadn't learned to apply that to the other aspects of his life. Nothing seemed to bother Gaara, not anything as mundane as a meeting anyway.

So Temari sat reading a manual on seal creation. It had always been something that came hard to her and aside from her genjutsu it was her worst skill area. Kankuro was working on a couple of small parts of his puppet Karasu, and Gaara, well he was just staring out of the tower's window. Gaara wasn't interested by much aside from violence. As much as Temari hated the way things were she was at a loss as to how to break Gaara from his shell, or at least try to without him killing her. Temari hated her father for what happened to her mother and brother, and that hate greatly affected her love of the distant man, but Temari felt deep down that her father hated himself more than anyone else did and for that she continued to hide her hate and tried to forgive him, though it wasn't easy.

All of the siblings' activities came to a halt as they heard a shrill voice coming from the other side of the door that led into the large chamber that they currently occupied. Turning their heads toward the door they watched as a thin boy about three years younger than Temari walked in. He had black hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail. He wore a green gray vest and had his hands tucked into his pants pockets. He had a sleepy look on his face and he was followed by a girl with long blonde hair done up in a ponytail wearing a fairly fashionable purple kunoichi outfit. She looked very annoyed at the black haired boy in front of her. Kankuro gave the girl an appraising once over, but stopped when he noticed the dark glare Temari sent him. As he tried to play it off a rather heavy set boy with reddish brown hair followed the other two while eating a bag of BBQ chips.

The blonde haired girl yelled at the boy, "Shikamaru what the hell were you doing? We could have had that damn cat hours ago if you had just used your Jutsu! Instead you just sat around and let me and Choji do all the work!"

Temari watched in amusement as the larger boy, Choji no doubt, didn't seem to really care about the extra work as he just threw back handfuls of chips with a smile on his face. The skinny boy sighed, "Troublesome… If I had used my jutsu we would have had to take more missions instead of this one. I didn't feel like doing any more missions today so I let you waste time with that troublesome cat. Now we just have to meet Asuma-sensei and then we can relax for the rest of the day."

The blonde girl stomped her foot and let out a groan before she finally walked over and sat on a bench across from Temari and Kankuro, and then spoke, "I can't believe Asuma-sensei thinks you are ready for the Chuunin Exams."

Temari started to pay very close attention to the threesome and decided to try and get some intel for the exams. She spoke to girl with genuine sympathy, "I can sympathize with you about your lazy ass teammate, Kankuro here would sleep till noon if he could get away then get up and eat then take a six hour nap if you let."

Ino turned her head to the older dusty blonde, "I think most guys our age are like that." Realizing who she was talking to she examined the other team in the room and spoke again, "I'm Yamanaka Ino, and these are Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. I haven't seen you guys around here before are you here for the exams?"

Temari recognized there names or at least their clan names and realized these where the children of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho Trio. It seemed Konoha was trying to get lighting to strike in the same place twice. She nodded to the other blonde and spoke, "We are. I'm Sabaku no Temari, and these are my younger brothers Kankuro and Gaara."

Shikamaru, who had taken a seat on chair across from Ino and leaned back and closed his eyes, sat up and looked at Temari with a sudden interest that surprised Ino. Shikamaru spoke, "Sabaku… that means you are the children of the Kazekage… right?"

Temari gave Shikamaru an appraising look and thought, 'He's more than meets the eye, and is very well informed for a genin. This one bears watching.' She smiled and spoke, "That's right. How did you know? Once someone becomes a Kage he is no longer referred to by his name and my dad has been Kazekage for longer than you've been alive. "

Shikamaru continued to stare at her for a moment for before leaning back and closing his eyes again and drawling, "My mom makes my dad tell all that he can about council meetings and information about other villages, and she nags me to learn it."

Temari was stunned, either he was trying to hide what he really was or he really was just that lazy. Ino looked at the three siblings and spoke with excitement, "Wow! Your father runs an elemental village! That's really cool. Our sensei Asuma is the son of the Hokage."

Temari remarked, "Sarutobi Asuma hmm… he's an A-rank jonin and former Fire Guardian who is an expert with knives and kunai, a brilliant tactician, and aside from the current Hokage Konoha's foremost expert on Wind jutsu. Though since he is an actual wind type I imagine he is better at using them than the Hokage."

Kankuro looked at his sister with confused expression on his face, "How the hell did you know all that?"

Temari smirked at her brother, "Because unlike some people I actually bother to read our Bingo Book."

Choji looked a little surprised, "I didn't know Asuma-sensei was that famous." He turned to Shikamaru and asked, "Can we get Bingo Books Shikamaru?"

The black haired boy turned to his best friend and shook his head, "In Konoha genin can't be issued a Bingo Books until they've taken the Chuunin Exam at least once, and then it's not all of it just our list of the most basic information and lists of other villages chuunin and their information, and of course missing nin who we consider dangerous. Now you could go to the archives and read a copy their but you can't take it out. Now I don't know how they do things in Suna."

Temari nodded, "All genin can request a Bingo Book for their team at any time, but they aren't edited and we aren't officially assigned one until we become chuunin."

Ino looked thoughtful, "How is one added to the Bingo Book again Shikamaru I don't remember that class at the academy."

The lazy boy sighed, "A country's Bingo Book contains all their information on ninja of C+-rank or higher and their status that we know about as well intelligence on every country."

Ino shrugged, "Wow I guess, so what do you guys think of Konoha so far?"

Temari gave a small smile, "Well we've only been here a couple of hours mostly waiting for this meeting to get over, but there are so many things here. It's a lot different from Suna where there is only sand and rocks. This place is so cluttered and it's makes it hard for me to feel I can relax."

Kankuro nodded, "That's true but I like all the bright colors and activity that are going on out in the open. At home the only things that happen in the outside are the activities that happen in the market place, and the girls here don't cover themselves up as much as at home."

Temari quickly smacked the back of her brother's head very hard and knocked the puppet user to the floor. While Ino and Choji laughed lightly Kankuro picked himself off the floor and took his seat back glaring at his elder sister. At that point the door to the confrence room slid open to reveal the Hokage and Kazekage followed by Baki and Asuma. The Hokage smiled as the group of genin (aside from Gaara) bowed and he spoke.

"Well this is nice to see future leaders of our to villages making friends and learning about each other." He turned to the Kazekage, "Kazekage-dono this is my son Asuma's team. Team 8 Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji."

The Kazekage nodded and spoke, "I am sure that your son will see that they become as great a group of ninja as their fathers. Now Hokage-sama if you would be so kind I would like to spend some time with my children and make sure they and Baki will be able to find all they need before our personal meeting tonight. I must return to Suna tommorow and I plan on leaving very early."

The Hokage smiled, "Of course, in fact if my son has no objections I would give his team the mission of showing you all around Konoha and taking you to the finest hotel in town."

The Kazekage nodded again, "That is acceptable to me."

Asuma mirrored his father's smile, "That sounds great." He turned to Shikamaru, "My team needs at least one more mission to round out the day."

Temari smirked to herself as both Choji and Ino laughed at Shikamaru who sighed, "Troublesome…"

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**AN: Here is Chapter Two. Please read, reveiw, and enjoy. If you have any question let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks everybody!**


	3. Mission

**AN: Alright thanks to those who reviewed and read the last chapter. We are now into chapter three and in this one we see Naruto and his team meet the Suna team and the Kazekage.**

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_We've been in Konoha for one day. On the surface our home and Konoha are as different as night and day, but underneath it all I think our two villages have a lot in common. It makes me feel that this alliance really is valuable. I also ran across several interesting ninjas around my age. There was one in particular that stood out more than the rest. I didn't think much of him at first. I thought he was just a loud mouth and he is, but there is a lot more to him than that. He caught my father's eye right away and despite my original misgivings I look forward to finding out more about this Uzumaki Naruto._

_-Entry in the Diary of Sabaku no Temari_

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The group of nine comprised of the Kazekage, the Suna team, and team 10 made their way briskly to the main door of the Hokage Tower. Asuma who was in the lead came to a slow stop and turned to the Kazekage and spoke.

"Would you like your tour first or would you like to find a hotel room first."

The Kazekage thought for a moment before responding, "I would like to acquire hotel rooms first. Preferably something up scale halfway between the tower and a section of the wall. Then the tour if that isn't too much trouble."

Asuma shook his head, "Not a problem at all I know just the place. It has a wonderful view and is right in the middle of a very wonderful restaurant district."

The Kazekage nodded, "Lead the way then Asuma-san."

As Asuma turned back to the door to leave, it suddenly flew open and he was run into by a small yellow bullet. It bounced off of the well built man and hit the ground to reveal a small boy around the age of eight or nine years old with brown hair and a light yellow shirt draped by a greenish blue scarf. The boy was followed by two kids the same age. One was a girl with light orange hair and the other was a boy with glasses and dark brown hair. All of them had pairs of green goggles on.

Asuma looked down at the kid and let out an amused chuckle, "Konohamaru-kun, you should watch where you are going."

The boy looked up at the older man with an embarrassed grin and responded, "No way uncle Asuma, you should just take up less space."

Asuma gave a laugh and turned to his party, "Forgive the interruption everyone. This is my nephew Konohamaru, and his friends Moegi and Udon. They are currently enrolled in the academy. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon these three are my team Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji."

The two groups from Konoha gave each other quick greetings while Asuma continued, "This is the Kazekage, his children, and their sensei."

Moegi and Udon gave deep bows while Konohamaru gave a rather half hearted bored one. As he looked up he saw Kankuro and gave the older boy a piercing look. Everyone but Gaara was a bit taken aback by the look.

After a long moment Konohamaru finally asked, "Why are you wearing make up?"

The children and teenagers all laughed, except for Gaara, Kankuro, and Konohamaru. Asuma and Baki both let out short barks of laughter and even the Kazekage let a smile form on his face.

Blushing furiously Kankuro barked at the younger boy, "It is not make up! This is war paint!"

Konohamaru responded with a thoughtful look on his face, "But wh-"

Taking steps to diffuse the situation Asuma spoke, "Konohamaru, why are you here?"

Konohamaru had a blank look on his face and then let out a gasp, "That's right! We came here so I could test out the jutsu that Naruto-niichan taught me on the old man. Come on guys!"

Moegi and Udon each gave an enthusiastic "Right" and the three ran up the stairs.

Asuma gave an apologetic smile and bow to the Kazekage, "Forgive my nephew Kazekage-sama. He is very young. We can continue now if you wish."

The Kazekage nodded, "It is alright. Your nephew was quite entertaining."

The group once again made their way toward the hotel. As they walked out of the tower Temari heard a very nervous Ino ask Shikamaru, "Do you think Konohamaru meant our Naruto?" the boy let out an amused sigh, "No doubt. Man, am I glad I'm not one of the academy workers that had to deal with Naruto and Konohamaru."

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Little did Shikamaru realize that one did not necessarily have to work at the ninja academy to deal with both Naruto and Konohamaru. All that meant was that one just had to have dealt with the both of them on a daily basis. As the tour group neared the hotel they came to an intersection across from it where Ino let out a very undignified squeal of joy. Everyone stopped and followed her line of sight. Temari blushed a bit when her eyes landed on a handsome scowling raven haired boy around Ino's age.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino cried as she ran full blast at the boy and spread her arms wide and threw them around the boy. A moment later a pink blur shoved a short blond haired boy that was standing beside Sasuke to the ground and growled at Ino.

"Get away from him Ino-pig!"

The two girls then started a yelling match while the blond stood and began to dust himself off while he grumbled under his breath.

Shikamaru spoke to the boy, "The more things change eh… Naruto?"

The boy looked up at Shikamaru and Choji, "I don't understand it. I mean I get that he's good looking, but he's also got no sense of humor, he doesn't have any hobbies, and he hardly ever says anything more than "hn"."

At that point Naruto looked around at who his two class mates were with. He looked at Asuma, Baki, and then he turned to Temari. Temari was taken aback by his deep crystal blue eyes and the odd marks that he had on his cheeks. As quickly as he had looked Temari in her eyes he turned to Gaara. Here an odd look came over the boy's face. Gaara also seemed to react oddly to Naruto, but after a moment each seemed to shake off the odd look and Naruto turned his attention to Kankuro. He gave Kankuro a familiar look that caused the older boy to get a very bad feeling.

Naruto questioned, "Why are you wearing makeup?"

Asuma, Baki, Shikamaru, and Choji all laughed heartily at Kankuro. So heartily that Sakura and Ino stopped fighting and turned to the laughter. Sasuke took the opportunity to escape his two fan girls and make his way over toward the group. He was followed by his silver haired sensei who had placed his favorite reading material in his vest when he noticed the Kazekage staring at Naruto with a mix of shock, suspicion and disbelief. The only other person to notice this was Temari who was cackling with reckless abandon. She only did that when she found something really funny and she hated it because it was a very undignified sound for a lady to make.

Kankuro growled out a strangled response, "It… is… not… makeup. It is war paint!"

Naruto looked confused, "Okay, but why are you wearing it?"

The boy was stunned but then shook it off and answered, "I wear it to intimidate my opponents."

Naruto scoffed, "What kind of ninja would be intimidated by makeup."

This made even Kankuro laugh a bit. The only two that were silent the entire time were Gaara and the Kazekage. It was the Kazekage that broke up the laughter when he cleared his throat and spoke to Naruto.

"Excuse me but what is your name?"

The boy looked at the man wearing blue Kage robes and answered, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Why are you wearing those robes?"

Kakashi spoke up, "Naruto show some respect! This is the Kazekage; he leads our allies in Suna the way the Hokage our village."

Naruto merely shrugged and spoke, "Nice to meet you I guess."

Baki, Temari, and Kankuro all bristled at the lack of respect shown to their leader, but to their great shock the Kazekage showed no offence. Instead he merely turned to Kakashi and spoke.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise Kakashi-kun. It has been about thirteen years I believe. You've made a great name for yourself since then"

The younger man bowed, "You honor me Kazekage-sama. I apologize for my student he is very young and I haven't had much time to beat some manners into him yet. These are my other students, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura.

Temari's eyes shot open at the name Uchiha and watched as the two students bowed to her father. Gaara caught sight of the Uchiha's eyes and shifted noticeably and the other boy did the same on sight of Gaara.

The Kazekage spoke, "Do not worry about the boy Kakashi I find his attitude refreshing, and I am quite sure that you will be as good a sensei to him and your other students as yours was to you."

Kakashi bowed again, "You give me far too much credit. I can't hope to be half the teacher Yondaime-sama was."

The Kazekage shook his head, "Your teacher would disagree I am sure. You are a fantastic ninja; in fact I would like you and your team to join Asuma-san's team while they give us a tour. It would do my children good to make more friends in this village so they won't feel as isolated Chuunin Exams"

Kakashi shot Asuma a look and then spoke, "We would be honored Kazekage-sama, but my team has a mission to report on."

The Kazekage waved his hand, "I must insist on it Kakashi-kun. I will explain it to the Hokage this evening, and I will see that your team is paid along with Asuma-san's."

Kakashi shared another glance with Asuma and then nodded at the Kazekage, "Very well sir."

The Kazekage smiled "Very good. Now if you would please wait here while my children and Baki obtain some rooms.

As the group from Suna made their way into the hotel Kakashi turned to Asuma and gave him a questioning look. Asuma sighed, lit one of his cigarettes, and gave a seceret hand signal to Kakashi that meant "Very important news. Later."

"The Kazekage is here to renegotiate our treaty while his children are here to take the Chuunin Exam and the old man assigned us to give them a tour."

Sasuke questioned, "The Chuunin Exam?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, it is the test genin take so they can get promoted. I planned on nominating you guys at the jounin meeting tomorrow."

Naruto perked up at that, "Alright! As soon as I pass that test I'll be one step closer to being Hokage."

Ino scoffed and Shikamaru gave Naruto a smile, 'He's still on that kick. Oh well for someone so hard to read it is nice to know something so certain about him. It makes things less annoying.'

* * *

In the hotel Temari unsealed her clothes bag and placed it in the single room's closet. She then made her way into the sitting room that connected her room and the three bed room that her brothers and sensei were sharing. In the sitting room she found her father staring out of the window in the direction Hokage Monument. Baki soon entered from the other room. The Kazekage spoke without turning from the view.

"Temari… tell me what you think about the people here."

The girl took a breath, "The civilians are very prosperous and for the most part happy as are the ninja. The ninja here are… different from those of other villages I've been to. They seem to be wired a different way."

Her father nodded, "Temari you are wise beyond your years… a trait you inherited from your mother. You are also very well informed and educated. However, there are some things that only real life experiences can teach you. One of those things is why Konoha ninjas are considered to be the best."

Temari waited for her father to continue as she felt her heart sore at being compared favorably to her mother. The man went on, "Konoha ninjas are taught to believe in "The Will of Fire". This is the belief that someone is always stronger when they protect others close to them, and all the Hokages have firmly believed and promoted the belief in it to others."

Temari spoke, "Surely there's more to Konoha's greatness than that? … Do you believe that is why Konoha ninja are the best?"

The Kazekage answered her, "I don't know, but I do know that their Kages have believed it, and that goes a long way in this world. That is why I'm giving you a mission. It is two fold. The first part will involve you observing the ninjas here and their way of life so you can come to your own conclusion about "The Will of Fire." For the second part of the mission I want you to follow and find out as much as you can about one of the ninja that you will be up against in the Chuunin Exam."

Temari responded quickly and somewhat hopefully, "The Uchiha?"

The Kazekage frowned and shook his head, "No. The Uchiha are all alike they crave either power for themselves or their family. I want you to follow an unknown quantity… Uzumaki Naruto."

Temari and Baki's eyes shot open and Temari spoke, "Him! What do you want to know about him?"

The Kazekage turned from the window and stared into his daughter's eyes, "Everything you can find out about him. Anything you can find out about him. I want you to do _whatever_ is necessary to get information from him, without having to use violence."

Temari felt a dark blush rise to her cheeks, "When you say 'whatever'… do you mean…"

Baki looked confused for a moment before an even darker blush rose to his face, "Kazekage-sama! Temari-chan is far too young to undertake a seduction mission, and it is a far beneath her station as your daughter!"

Temari shot a grateful look at her teacher. He was on a genin team with her mother and father, and was like an uncle to her and her brothers. He would often watch over them when her parents were busy. Despite the fact he had called her "Temari-chan" for the first time since she had forbidden it since she entered the academy she felt nothing but affection for the man who too often thought of her as a little girl instead of the ninja she was.

The Kazekage responded, "Temari has never asked for and never received any kind of favoritism when being assigned missions, and it has always been my policy that all ninja regardless of status have the potential to be assigned any type of mission. I seriously doubt Temari will actually have to seduce the boy, he's around twelve, and I think she can handle anything he could try and throw at her. I leave the specifics of it up to her; I trust her judgment in this matter."

Temari bowed filling a bit of pride in the amount of trust her father and Kage placed in her abilities, "I accept the mission Kazekage-sama and I will do my best."

The Kazekage nodded, "Good I will expect your report when I return for the second round results, now get your brothers and meet Baki and I in the lobby. We will then rejoin our tour group."

Temari bowed, "Yes sir!" she then left the room.

Baki spoke to his friend, "Forgive me for questioning your orders like that. It was not the appropriate time."

The Kazekage waved him off, "No, don't worry about it. You were just doing what you thought was best for Temari. Temari is fast becoming a great ninja. Someday soon she will become a better kunoichi than her mother."

Baki spoke softly, "You should tell her that it would mean the world to her."

The Kage looked down, "You have been more of a father to her than I have the last ten years. Perhaps you should be the one to tell her."

Baki gave his old friend a sad smile, "You could change that Kanbei. All you have to do is tell them the truth."

"The truth and what is that? The truth is I failed as a husband, lover, and father, and nothing can change that."

"Karura would hate that you are just giving up like this."

"I am not giving up, but before I can try to become a better father I must secure the village and its future! At least for a few years."

Baki nodded, "I have always trusted you my friend and I will trust your judgment on this as well, but know that it is not just your children or Karura's memory that I am worried about but you as well."

The Kazekage gave his old friend a thankful smile, "Thank you my friend."

Baki grinned at Kanbei the way he did when they were still genin and before the war. It was a sight that had become rarer and rarer over the years. The two men left and locked the door behind them then made their way down to the lobby and met the genin. They left the hotel and met with Asuma and Kakashi's teams out front.

* * *

The Kazekage gave a formal smile as he made his way to the two jonin and spoke in a polite tone, "Thank you for being so patient" at this point Sakura gave a scoff and glared daggers at Naruto, who had whined the entire time they had been waiting about being bored. The Kazekage continued, "Now I would like to go to the one place that a trip to Konoha would not be complete without a visit too. The Hokage Monument."

Asuma bowed, "Right this way sir."

Asuma took the lead with Shikamaru and Choji beside him. Next was the Kazekage followed by Baki, Kankuro and Gaara a few steps behind them. Then followed Kakashi with Sasuke behind him and Ino and Naruto on either side him, until Sakura pushed Naruto to the ground to get on the opposite side of Sasuke that Ino was on. As the two girls alternatively sniped at each other and tried to flirt with Sasuke Temari shook her head and held her hand out to Naruto.

"Here, let me help you up Uzumaki-san."

Naruto looked up and gave the older girl a sheepish grin, "Thanks." The boy took her hand and she helped him up. Temari was shocked by how soft his hands were. Generally by the time a student officially became a genin they had built calluses all over their hands and feet, but Naruto had none. Even if he hadn't trained all that much he should have had at least a few, but Temari kept her shock in check.

Naruto and Temari began to follow after the rest of their group. The boy spoke to Temari, "I know with you being the daughter of a Kage you are probably used to being really polite and formal, but you can just call me Naruto. Only my teachers at the academy called me Uzumaki and that was only when I was in trouble."

Temari mustered her best coy smile, "Alright then… Naruto-kun you can call me Temari."

* * *

**AN: There you have it! Chapter Three! Please read and review. Next time will have Temari and Naruto getting to know each other better, while the two kages meet and talk about the Chuunin Exams. The exams themselves might even start, but that will just depend on how well the words are flowing. Also I will try to respond to the reviews that people have made. I've been away from my computer for the past week or so and it has been hard to respond and get the chapter out. Anyway... Thanks again and I hope you enjoy.**


	4. Monument

**AN: Alright! Chapter four is here. Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well.**

* * *

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

* * *

_This is dedicated in honor of those most loved and skilled individuals that have protected our people, guarded our homes, guided our futures, and kept our spirits burning. Long live the Hokages!_

_-Inscription at the viewing platform of the Hokage Monument_

* * *

The group had slowly made their way toward the carved mountain face, and all the way there Asuma and Kakashi pointed out shops, restaurants, and parks to the visitors from Suna with the occasional remark from their students or questions from those they escorted. Then they reached the base of the Hokage Monument, and they slowly made their way up to the observation deck. As they did Temari thought about how to get Naruto to open up. The boy had kept quite for the most part, or at least about any thing of real value in fact the boy could ramble on about anything and everything. Sakura had put a stop to that by punching the boy into a concrete wall, and he had been sulking quietly since then. The group finally reached the platform and stared up at the massive stone heads.

Asuma spoke, "Well this is it the monument to those that have led Konohagakura No Sato."

Everyone stared at the monument in silence for a moment. After a while Kankuro spoke.

"How long did it take to carve those faces into the rock?"

Asuma looked thoughtful, "Hmm… the Sandaime told me once when I was a kid. It was different with each one. The Shodai's took about a week because his brother just used his suiton jutsu to carve the rock. The others took longer as no one had the Nidaime's skill.

Temari asked, "The view here is wonderful, is it possible to go to the very top of the mountain?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, during the day it is open to the public. At night though no one is supposed to be up there, but a lot do anyway. In fact a lot of the younger couples in the village go to the top at nights to look at the stars… and for some heavy petting of course."

Naruto looked confused, "Heavy petting?"

Everyone but Gaara (who was just as confused as Naruto though he didn't show it) goggled at the blond boy. Kakashi sighed, bent down, and whispered into the boy's ear. Temari found the range of emotions and reactions on the boy's face funny. After Kakashi was done Naruto had a dark red blush across his face and he shot a quick sidelong look at Sakura before he shook it off and looked Kakashi in the face.

"Why are you so perverted Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled and put his hand on the back of his head chuckling, 'Naruto, one day you will understand.'

Clearing his throat the Kazekage spoke, "So Kakashi-kun what do you think of your teachers likeness? I only met the man a couple of times, but it seems off to me."

Kankuro turned to his father, "I didn't know you met the yellow flash... sir"

The Kazekage nodded, "Twice, once before the third great ninja war and when we signed our alliance treaty. I was two years older than he was and was already a chuunin, almost a jounin, and had come here to observe one of the last Chuunin Exams held before the war broke out. In the finals he was an undersized no name rookie up against more experienced older ninjas who were either from respected clans, had bloodline abilities, or both. He was supposed to lose in the first round, but he dominated… the entire field. At the victory ceremony held that night he was introduced to all of the visiting representatives. Not anything really formal just a bow and a congratulations. Then after the war as Hokage he came for a short visit to Suna to sign the treaty. That was quite a gesture, normally a stronger nation is visited by a weaker and if they are equal they meet on neutral ground, but he disregarded that tradition as a sign of a true desire for friendship. As at that time Konoha was much stronger, and still is. That was a much more personal meeting. He was a very unique ninja. He always seemed to have some kind of smile on his face. He confounded me to no end. He did that to everyone I think."

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, he did have a unique way of dealing with people. As to the sculpture when he was getting a smaller bust made for a model he wanted to smile, but the council thought that he should look serious. That was only the second time I ever saw him with that look on his face."

Everyone continued to look up at the faces on the mountain for a moment before Ino broke the silence, "You know Asuma-sensei you look a lot like the Sandaime when he was younger."

Asuma puffed on his cigarette, "Yeah… my hair is darker than his was, and I am built a bit more muscularly than the he was, but other than that I guess I do look like the old guy."

Naruto let out a cry and pointed his finger at Asuma, "You're the Hokage's son? So that means you are Konohamaru's uncle. How is he doing? I haven't had much time to hang around with him lately."

Asuma smirked at the boy, "I just saw him earlier as a matter of fact. He said he was going to try out the jutsu you taught him on the old man."

Naruto laughed, "I wonder how much better he's gotten with it. He has some talent, but he hasn't been able to get quite enough… umpf into it just yet."

Temari questioned kindly, "What kind of jutsu did you teach him Naruto-kun?"

Ino and Kankuro whipped their heads towards Temari so fast that it was a minor miracle that they didn't break their necks.

Naruto replied, "It's a jutsu that is used to reveal and defeat perverts."

Everyone but Gaara gaped at Naruto for a moment before Temari asked, "Why would he try to use that on the Hokage?"

Kakashi and Asuma exchanged an amused glance while Naruto chuckled. At that point the Kazekage looked up at the position of the setting sun and cleared his throat.

"Speaking of Hokage-sama I must leave for our meeting. Asuma-san, Kakashi-kun I thank you and your students for your tour it was most informative. I will make sure to tell the Hokage how helpful and informative it was. Baki let your students off for the evening."

Asuma spoke, "Sir! Kakashi and I need to go to a jounin meeting at the tower this evening. We will escort you."

Baki spoke, "The team will be fine I will go with you as well."

The Kazekage nodded, before he turned to Temari and Gaara, "Remember what I told you two." Gaara's instructions were not to try and kill anyone until after the exam

Asuma, Kakashi, and Baki each gave their teams permission to leave. The three jounin followed the Kazekage towards the Hokage Tower. The group of genin stood around and shot looks at each other. After a few moments Shikamaru yawned and turned to leave but stopped when Ino spoke to him.

"Where are you off to so quick Shikamaru?"

The boy turned to the blonde, "Home, my mom will have dinner ready soon and if she finds out I could have been at home for dinner and instead just hung around with you guys she'd chew me out worse than she does my dad when he stays out drinking."

Choji called, "Hey can I come over?"

Shikamaru smirked at his friend, "Sure that will make sure she won't complain about wasting food."

As the two friends made their slowly down the steps of the monument Ino shook her head bemusedly at the pair before she turned toward Kankuro and Temari who were talking in low voices.

Kankuro hissed, "I'm telling you we should stick together. Dad and sensei wouldn't want us to just wander around on our own for no reason."

Temari replied hotly, "You're the one that wants to wander around."

Kankuro let out an exasperated sigh, "I just want to get something to eat at the barbeque place across from our hotel."

Temari shrugged, "Then go ahead and go. I'm not hungry at all."

At that point Temari walked away from her annoyed brother and made her way over to Naruto with a predatory smile on her face. The spiky haired boy was standing off to the side of his two teammates while waiting for Sakura to finish talking to Sasuke.

"Are you sure you don't want to get some food with me Sasuke-kun?"

The raven haired boy turned away from Sakura and walked toward the railing, "Go home Sakura."

With that he began to jump down to the bottom of the monument. Naruto spoke to Sakura, "Don't worry about that Sakura-chan. You should just forget him and come get something to eat with me."

Sakura wheeled around to face Naruto with a very menacing glare and ground out, "I'm not hungry."

Naruto gave a nervous laugh and turned around to come face to face with a sweetly smiling Temari.

The older girl spoke in a flirty tone, "If you would like some company I would love to accompany you Naruto-kun. I'm starving."

Kankuro, Sakura and Ino gaped at the older girl. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "That's fine Temari. Come on it's this way."

Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her along and the two girls proceeded to follow the pair of blonds. Only Gaara and Kankuro remained on the platform. Kankuro stood watching the retreating figures make their way down the path in amazement.

Despite his fear of his brother Kankuro asked him, "Did you see that too or was I just under a genjutsu?"

Gaara answered in his cold even tone, "There was no genjutsu that I could detect. What makes you think there might have been one?"

Kankuro responded, "The fact that Temari's flirting with that blond loudmouth. I mean I've never seen her act like that around any guy. The most I've ever seen her react to a guy in that way is when she sees a cute guy she'll just check him out and introduce herself, but she has never gone farther than that."

Gaara spoke in a matter of fact tone, "Perhaps she favors him more than anyone she has met, or she could be in heat and wishes to mate with him."

Kankuro spluttered and chocked out, "Tou-san would kill her!"

Gaara answered, "That would probably be his response, and it is odd that Temari would be so reckless with her safety."

Kankuro nodded, "Which is why I thought there might be a genjutsu."

Gaara nodded before he turned and began to walk down the path, "Whatever the case may be Temari has made her choices and will deal with the consequences on her own. I am hungry, you will take me to where you were going to eat and you will buy me food."

The red haired boy did not stop as his elder brother finally overcame his stupor and ran to catch up with him.

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage let out a content sigh and lowered his drinking cup slowly. He looked up as he felt movement come from outside his door. The old man leaned back in his chair and prepared for whatever was about to enter his room. The door opened to reveal one of his chuunin assistants leading in the Kazekage. The chuunin bowed as the Kazekage walked past him and stood in the middle of the sitting room. The Hokage signaled for the chuunin to leave before he stood and gave a small bow of the head to his opposite number from Suna and then motioned for him to sit in the chair opposite from his own.

The older man sat down as the Kazekage did and spoke in a warm voice, "I was enjoying the gift you brought me Kazekage-sama. This sake is an excellent vintage."

The Kazekage nodded, "I am glad you enjoyed it. Some of my ninja took some bottles of it from a convoy we were hired to stop. I've drunk a couple my self."

The Hokage laughed, "I can't blame you for that. I'll have to give you an appropriate gift when you leave. Do you smoke? I have some excellent tobacco leaves."

The Kazekage shook his head, "No thank you. I gave up smoking when my daughter was born for her health. I wouldn't say no to so some chewing tobacco though."

The Hokage smiled, "I think I can help with that. How was your tour?"

The Kazekage nodded, "It was very informative. Your son and his team were very professional. You should be very proud they are a good team."

The Hokage replied, "Yes, my son has done an excellent job with his team."

The Kazekage smiled, "I also met an old acquaintance… Kakashi-kun and his team."

The Hokage's smile dropped just a fraction of an inch but the Kazekage noticed that and continued, "I requested that he and his team join us and they were very helpful as well."

The Hokage nodded, "I'm glad you enjoyed our hospitality."

The Kazekage smiled, "Yes. I was also wondering about one of Kakashi's students… Uzumaki Naruto."

The Hokage's tone lost some of its warmth, "What about him?"

The Kazekage replied, "His surname."

The Hokage replied in a clipped tone, "Naruto is an orphan, a nameless one at that. He was born shortly before the Kyuubi attacked our hospital. The demon caused the destruction of all our medical records that didn't pertain to shinobi, as we have copies in their files. No one claimed the boy so he was given a random name and given to an orphanage. We believe that his family were some of the many nameless refuges that made their way here after the war."

The Kazekage smiled, "Forgive my curiosity. He made an impression on me earlier. He insulted Kankuro and was somewhat rude to me."

The Hokage blushed somewhat, "Naruto has never had any manners. If you wish it I will speak with him and will have a reprimand added to his record."

The Kazekage shook his head, "No that will not be needed. I found it very refreshing. Sometimes it is nice to be treated as if you weren't different."

The Hokage nodded sagely, "Very true, but you are still young Kazekage-dono. Just try to be a kage for forty years."

The Kazekage felt a shiver run up his spine. He pushed the feeling down. The man in front of him was a legend and had presided over the strongest of the ninja villages for most of its history. The old man had subtly reminded Kanbei that he wasn't someone that should be toyed with. He decided to get back to more immediate business.

The Kazekage brought a forced smile to his face, "I don't think I'll be able to equal that Hokage-sama. Thank you for indulging my curiosity. I have wasted enough of our time. We should move on to more immediate concerns."

The Hokage became very serious, "Orochimaru… It is obvious that it is too late to cancel the exam without causing massive economic and diplomatic fallout. So we will go forward with the exam as planned. We have increased patrol intervals and numbers in and outside the walls. We have also begun to observe certain teams from villages that we feel could want to betray us."

The Kazekage nodded, "I am impressed. What about during the exam? I imagine the field test during the second phase will have increased security as that would be an excellent time for Orochimaru to grab Uchiha Sasuke."

The Hokage nodded, "We will have him watched at all times by two ANBU squads. Also I plan to change the second exam somewhat. It is being held in Orochimaru's favorite training ground and he would find it very poetic to encounter Sasuke there."

The Kazekage nodded and spoke in a suspicious tone, "I trust the second exam won't be changed to drastically."

The Hokage smirked, "Oh it will not favor Konoha over the other villages, but new measures have been implemented to reduce the danger of death or capture to all genin. We shall make sure that your teams, particularly the one containing your children will be well protected. Orochimaru might decide to take your escape out on them as well."

The Kazekage replied, "Thank you for the consideration. I'm not too worried about my other teams. Most probably won't get pass the first portion of the exam, and the few that I feel will probably won't get past the second. My children will make it to the final round if they don't have to face one of the Sannin. To supplement your manpower I would like to send you four of my best ANBU teams to help you with security."

The Hokage nodded, "That would be very kind of you. Send me the details as soon as you return home and I will inform my people. I would also like to send some men to help with your security while you return."

The Kazekage responded, "My ANBU escort arrived just as I came to the tower, but it would be good to have some extra eyes that are familiar with the area. Once we get to the desert we will be safe."

The Hokage chuckled, "What is that old expression about a fighting a sand ninja in the desert?"

The Kazekage smirked, "Don't do it."

The two men shared a short but genuine laugh. There was a knock at the door and it opened when the Hokage spoke for the visitor to enter. Behind the door stood a very attractive young female chuunin carrying a couple of file folders.

She spoke with a sweet voice, "These are the files you asked for Hokage-sama."

The old man flashed a large grin and nodded his head enthusiastically, "Thank you my dear give one to the Kazekage if you would."

The woman smiled and handed one to each of the Kages then walked to the door bowed then walked out. The Kazekage smirked as he watched the perverted old man watch the retreating woman's backside.

When the woman had left the Hokage turned back to face his counterpart. He noticed the look on the other man's face and gave a sheepish grin.

He cleared his throat, "This is the file on Orochimaru along with the information that Oto sent about their team of genin."

The room was silent for about half an hour as the two men read the in-depth files. Finally the Kazekage spoke breaking the quite of the room.

"This jutsu that Orochimaru was trying to create… was he close to completing it?"

The Hokage shook his head, "We aren't sure. The Yondaime, Jiraiya and I were the only ones that read _all_ of his information and Minato decided to have all the notes destroyed. I supported the decision completely. The notes didn't reveal what exactly he was working toward just what he had tried. I personally think Orochimaru could have completed the jutsu by now. Now if he has Minato believed that with the path Orochimaru was on he would only be able to use bodies of strong individuals, and even then for only a limited amount of time. To be able to use a body for a long period of time the body would have to have some kind of tie with Orochimaru's chakra, be very healthy, and would have to be young when he assumes control of it."

The Kazekage sat silent for a moment contemplating what he had learned, "That could be why he wants the Uchiha."

The Hokage nodded, "The Sharingan would also aid him with his obsession with learning the entire world's jutsu."

The room once again feel into silence. The Hokage brought his pipe into his mouth, placed tobacco into it, and lit it. The smoke slowly wafted and spread across the entire room.

* * *

Temari walked beside Naruto at a slow pace. The boy walked with his arms behind his head with a slight scowl on his face. Temari hadn't spoken to the boy since they left the monument together and he made no attempt to talk to her. He had seemed like such a loudmouth that Temari thought that it wouldn't be a problem to get him to spill his guts, but instead the boy had fallen into a sulking mood and it was causing her to fall into one to. In her head Temari asked herself for about the hundredth time since her father assigned her the mission why she had to follow _this_ boy. What was it about him in particular that her father found so intriguing?

Mustering up a very convincing smile Temari spoke in a sweet voice, "So where are we going to eat Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked at the older girl and a bright smile filled his face, "Ichiraku Ramen!"

He then grabbed Temari's wrist and dragged her at a high speed down the street. Temari was surprised at the amount of strength in the boy's soft hands and she only just kept her balance. After about two minutes of solid running the pair arrived at a small stand covered stand. Naruto let go of Temari's arm and the two took seats at the bar. Temari noted that although the place was very small it was very clean and well decorated. The place seemed very warm and welcoming, and the two people staffing the place reinforced that feeling.

The young woman standing at the counter staking bowls smiled at Naruto and Temari as they sat down. She turned and spoke to the old man manning the kitchen area.

"Look who's here." She turned to the pair of blond ninja and smiled while her father looked over and yelled at his guests.

"Well I was wondering when you would show up again Naruto and you bought a friend, a very lovely young friend to. What can I fix the two of you?"

Naruto smiled, "I'll have a bowl of beef, pork, and two miso please. All extra large!"

Temari looked at the boy with an amused glance, "I'll have an extra large beef bowl."

The old man laughed, "Finally Naruto brings a girl with an appetite. Aren't you going to introduce your friend Naruto?"

Naruto blanked for a moment before smiling, "Oh! This is Temari, she and her brothers are here for the Chuunin Exam. Oh yeah… her father is the Kazekage."

The two stand workers' eyes shot wide open and they took a moment before they composed themselves and went about their work with Ayame speaking to Temari in a very polite tone.

"What a pleasure to have you here in our stand Temari-hime."

Temari smiled back, "Thank you for having me and please just call me Temari." She then turned to Naruto with a smile, "Do you eat here a lot Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grinned, "Oh sure all the time! They serve the best ramen in the entire world here."

Teuchi and Ayame smiled at the praise and continued with their work. Temari took the surroundings in. Though it was small it wasn't cramped and the place seemed warm. It was also very clean, as was its dining wear. The prices were a little high for ramen but if Naruto was correct then they would be well worth the cost of the ramen. Temari decided to start up another conversation with the boy.

"Don't your parents mind you eating ramen all the time?"

Teuchi and Ayame each shifted nervously while Naruto replied in a nonchalant tone, "I don't have parents. I'm an orphan."

Temari blushed profusely, "I'm so sorry please forgive my assumption."

Naruto shrugged, "Don't worry about it. I don't anymore."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the stand before Teuchi yelled, "Order up!"

Naruto took his first bowl and dived into it with reckless abandon. Temari watched in awe before turning to her own meal and began to eat. She quickly decided to change the subject.

"How long have you been a ninja?"

Naruto thought for a few moments, "I guess about six months now. How about you?"

"We do things a little differently in Suna. Training is done primarily by families or clans with them brining in civilian children that show promise to boost their prestige. Our academy is used almost excluesivly for testing purposes. After that all genin are placed into a pool and they perform D-rank missions with randomly assigned partners until they are judged to be at a level capable of surviving C-rank or higher missions when they are assigned to a jounin sensei. I was held back because my father wanted the three of us on a team with each other."

Naruto questioned, "Why did he do that?"

Temari was silent before speaking, "Because we are all very skilled and our genin team is by far the best one we've had in years. Our father is trying to build up his power and prestige. Suna isn't like the other four great nations. Our Kages have all had to deal with sharing power with the council. Now normally that wasn't too much of a problem but my father is trying to change things in Suna and the council is filled with holdovers from the Sandaime's reign. Any advantage he can get he will use."

Naruto looked confused, "What does your father want to change? I mean Suna must be doing something right to be one of the great nations."

Temari stared at her bowl for a moment, "He wants to make us more modern. There are new villages popping up all over the place that model their training methods on those of the other major nations, and even though they don't have the numbers of the Five they are still fairly skilled because of that. To complicate matters we aren't able to increase our numbers because the great nations have an unspoken agreement to keep the number of new ninja fairly low. This has put major pressures on us. The first of those pressures is that to keep an all out war from breaking out we have to keep our numbers equal with the other nations. This is dangerous because our training and recruitment method is outdated. If our ninja aren't as good as the other major countries then we can't charge the same amount and if the smaller countries are almost as good and closer then some lords will hire them over us."

Naruto looked thoughtful and then spoke before diving back into his ramen, "As long as you're strong enough to keep your village safe you are strong enough."

Temari gave the boy an odd look before nodding, "That is the most important thing, but that is easier said than done."

Naruto gave Temari a grin, "I know because I'm going to be Hokage one day."

Temari stared at Naruto with a look of disbelief, "You… want to be Hokage? May I ask why?"

Naruto gave her a wide grin, "A lot of people have always looked down on me because who I am and I want to show them that I can be a great ninja and make a difference. I also want to pay back every one who has acknowledged me so far by living up to my promises."

Temari nodded, "Good luck Naruto-kun." 'You are going to need it. Honestly though I don't know if someone as naïve as you could ever hope to become Hokage… but I wouldn't mind hoping. If you could do that then it would give me hope that Gaara can still be saved.'

Naruto smiled, "Thanks Temari. What are your dreams for the future?"

Temari was silent for a moment, "Right now I just want to make chuunin. After that jounin and after that… who knows?"

Naruto nodded, "That's cool! I hope you make it Temari!"

Temari was silently thinking, 'This kid is defiantly weird for a ninja. So sincere. 'She then smiled at the boy and went back to her food. Naruto did the same. After that a calm silence descended over the small stand, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Temari observed as Naruto interacted with the workers of the ramen stand. They seemed very familiar and fond of the boy and they were very kind to her, but they weren't sucking up either. It was then that Temari felt two sets of eyes watching her and Naruto. The boy didn't seem to notice, and there didn't seem to be any ill will from the watchers, but as the daughter of the Kazekage in a foreign village Temari knew she had to be careful. She slowly lifted her fan and brought its polished black metal folded frame to her face and pretended to primp and preen her hair and outfit, but in fact she channeled chakra into her eyes and peered out into the darkness behind her. After awhile she finally caught sight of the platinum blonde and pink hair of Ino and Sakura just visible in the rapidly approaching darkness. They each seemed to be straining themselves to try and catch pieces of Naruto and Temari's conversation. This caused a smirk to rise to Temari's face as she quickly decided to make her spying mission a bit more fun. Naruto had finished his meal and was just recounting a joke with Ayame.

Temari laughed at the punch line lightly along with the other girl before she spoke, "Naruto-kun thank you for the meal. If you don't mind could you escort me around a little while longer?"

Naruto nodded, "Sure! It's still early and I don't have anything important to do."

Temari reached for her money but the old man held up his hand, "That won't be necessary. Since you're a friend of Naruto's and this is your first time here it's on the house… just make sure you tell others about this place."

Temari smiled, "Thank you. I will. I've got to agree with Naruto-kun this is the best ramen I've ever had and it is well worth the price."

The two ramen workers bowed as Temari and Naruto walked away. After a couple of blocks and when Temari was sure Sakura and Ino were close behind them she spoke in a very playful and suggestive tone to Naruto. One that the boy didn't seem to notice.

"Naruto-kun would you mind… showing me the top of the Hokage Monument?"

Naruto stared at Temari for a moment and shrugged, "If you want me to."

* * *

Ino and Sakura stood and stared at shock as the blonde couple made their way back to the monument.

Ino was the first to shake off her shock, "Forehead we have to figure out what is going on here."

Sakura turned to her former friend/rival, "What do you mean? She's all over him! She likes him!"

Ino smirked at the shock and tiny bit of jealousy that came out in Sakura's voice, "Come on Sakura, think about it, she's here for the Chuunin exams. She's probably trying to scout other teams out."

Sakura thought for a moment, "Why is she going after Naruto then? Why didn't she go after Shikamaru or Choji?"

Ino spoke in a matter of fact tone, "Naruto is on a team with Uchiha Sasuke. He is by far the most high profile competition she will face."

Sakura nodded, "True… but Naruto wouldn't rat Sasuke out. He might be annoying but he would never betray a teammate or a friend."

Ino returned, "Not on purpose anyway, but who knows what she's willing to do to get information? Or what she can do to get information."

Sakura thought about the "advanced kunoichi" classes she would have to take with Ino when they got to be around Temari's age and blushed, "Well what should we do then?"

Ino smiled, "Simple you follow them while I go get Shikamaru and then we meet up with you at the monument."

Sakura was confused, "What can Shikamaru do?"

Ino spoke, "Believe it or not Shika's pretty smart and he'll be able to tell us what Temari is up to, and what we should do about it."

* * *

**AN: Hello all! I'm sorry it has been so long since my last update, but I have been really busy with school starting back, and I've had to deal with a massive computer virus attacking my laptop which had all my files on it. Anyway things are fixed and are working great. So I hope to be able to get chapters out much quicker. Please read and review and enjoy. **


	5. Examination

**AN: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well**

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

* * *

"_Do you think they watch over us even now Minato-kun?"_

"_I know they do Hokage-sama."_

"_Oh? Do tell."_

"_The Monument…They watch from there. That sounds silly I know, but when I look at it I can feel them and their protective presence. I sound like such a kid don't I?"_

_The Sandaime smiled and nodded at the young man beside him, "I like that idea though, and to tell you the truth I feel that way sometimes too. Tell me Minato-kun what is a ninja's true purpose?"_

_Minato closed his eyes and spoke in soft but firm voice, "When I joined the academy I thought it was to keep their village strong, and while that is very important I now understand that the most important thing for a ninja to do is to honor what our forefathers fought for, and to continue to fight for that."_

_The Hokage's eyes gleamed with excitement and he gave the younger man an encouraging nod to continue, "That is?" _

_Minato turned his gaze from the giant stone heads and followed their lines of sight off into the distance, "To leave behind a brighter and better future for all those that will come after us."_

_~The exact moment the Sandaime Hokage decided on Minato Namikaze as the Yondaime Hokage_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Examination**

Temari sat with her legs hanging off the top of the Hokage monument while she leaned back and rested her weight on her arms. Naruto sat beside her with his legs crossed while he looked out over the village. Temari felt the presence of Sakura who had followed the pair alone. The pink haired girl was hiding in a group of trees a few meters back just in earshot. Temari let an evil smirk rise to her face and decided to have some fun at Naruto and Sakura's expense. She adjusted her self and slid right next to Naruto turning her head and exposing her neck clearly to the younger boy, and he stiffened but kept his gaze out on the village lights. In the background Sakura sucked in her breath and watched unblinking at what was unfolding.

Temari spoke in a sultry voice, "The stars are very pretty tonight aren't they Naruto-kun?"

Naruto cleared his throat and looked up at the sky, "Yeah, I guess they are."

Temari inwardly smiled and shifted toward the boy, "Do you come up here often to look at them?"

Naruto shrugged and finally looked at Temari, he was very confused by the way she was acting, "I mostly just like to watch the village, but since I graduated I don't come as much as I used to."

Temari nodded, "Do you bring a lot of girls up here?"

Naruto was flabbergasted, "What? Oh no. I… I've never brought anyone up here."

Temari let loose a faux giggle, "I'm very honored then to be your first… you know if you want I could be your first for a couple of other things I imagine."

* * *

In the trees Sakura felt her face heat up and eyes bug out while in her mind Inner Sakura raged, 'THAT SLUT! WHO THE HELL DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?! COMING INTO OUR VILLAGE AND TRYING TO CORRUPT OUR MEN!'

Sakura nodded as her alter ego continued, 'SHE IS CRUSING FOR A BRUISING. NARUTO BETTER NOT GO FOR THIS!'

Sakura felt very guilty and disturbed by that thought. What business of her's was it if Naruto wanted to do what Temari seemed to be proposing? Why should she feel even this much jealously about the boy? She wasn't interested, she had Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto was very confused Temari's actions, "What are you talking about?"

Temari smirked and began to close in on Naruto. The boy fell on his back and nervously backed away from the older girl, but she followed on her hands and knees hovering over him.

"Aren't you the least bit interested in trying out some of the things your sensei told you about 'heavy petting'?"

Naruto stopped backing away as his face turned a dark red, "Wha… I uh…"

Temari suddenly busted out laughing, "I… ha ha… I ha… sorry Naruto I… ha ha. I couldn't help myself. I'm just teasing you. You should see your face. Ha Ha!"

As the older girl fell off him onto her back laughing Naruto was stunned and confused. In the trees Sakura let out a breath. She let a small smile on her face. Temari was right Naruto did have a funny look on his face.

Naruto gave a half frown half smile on his face, "Why did you do that?! I was really worried there! …It's not that funny is it?"

Temari gained control of herself, "I am sorry. It's just that when I saw the look on your face earlier when your sensei talked to you it left an impression. I found it hard to believe that someone knowledgeable enough to make an "anti-pervert" jutsu wouldn't know something about being a pervert themselves but I guess I was wrong."

Naruto still had a light blush on his face, "Well, still that wasn't very nice."

Temari chuckled, "Well if it makes you feel better it backfired on me. I mean you didn't seem the least bit tempted by my offer. I guess I need to work on my looks a bit more."

Naruto shook his head, "No don't feel bad, you are very pretty. It's just that I like someone else a lot."

Temari blushed at the boy's very heartfelt comment on her looks, but she shook it off and continued the conversation, "You mean your teammate right?"

Sakura felt her pulse quicken and a small blush rise to her cheek as Naruto answered, "How did you know?"

Temari laughed, "You aren't exactly good at hiding your true feelings about things. Which you need to work on if you want to be a better ninja much less Hokage by the way. If you don't mind my asking what is so great about her? She seems like she has some smarts and she is pretty, but I don't see much else going for her."

Sakura let out a low growl and some killing intent at Temari and the older girl smirked.

Naruto got a goofy grin on his face, "Sakura-chan is great! She has beautiful hair, a wonderful smile, and I love her slender frame."

Temari scoffed, "Maybe you aren't different as different from other boys as I thought. All you like about her is her looks."

Naruto shook his head and replied somewhat loudly, "No! She's very smart! She always got the best grades in our academy classes. She was the top ranked kunoichi and the second highest ranked overall. She did all that and she doesn't even come from a family of ninjas. She worked so hard to get where she is. When I first saw her she was all alone just like I was. It's not usual for girls with no ninja in their family to join the academy. I watched how she struggled like I did not coming from a family with ninja, and how she was picked on like I was. I wanted to talk to her so bad, but when I finally worked up the nerve she had already met Ino, and the two of them became best friends. That gave Sakura-chan a big shot of confidence, and she just soared up in the class rankings. I continued to watch as she progressed, and I wished I could be half a student that she was. I respect her so much."

Temari was silent and Sakura sat in the background with her heart beating in her throat. After a moment Temari spoke, "She doesn't seem to like you that much."

Naruto's eyes flashed with hurt but he quickly brought a grin to his face and rubbed the back of his head, "No, she does, at least a little bit, but I can never tell when a good time to talk to her is. You saw how badly I timed things when Sasuke turned her down."

Temari smirked, "Still I don't think she treats you that well."

Naruto shook his head, "She just gets high-strung sometimes. Anyway she treats almost all the people in our class that way. She treats me the same as she treats other people. In fact she is one of the few people that do that."

Temari looked at the boy inquisitively, "What do you mean?"

Naruto panicked and quickly replied, "Well I pulled a lot of pranks when I was a kid and a lot of the adults don't think much about me. One time I painted the whole monument with graffiti."

Temari looked at the boy with exasperation, "I thought you wanted to be Hokage why would you do that?"

Naruto put his arms behind his head and laughed, "I just wanted to shock the villagers. The old man was upset too, but mainly because I had caused a lot of a ruckus for most of the week leading up to it. He told me later that all the Hokages would have found it funny because they knew I wasn't doing it to insult them. Of course I still had to clean it up."

Temari shook her head and she shifted her view back onto the village and Naruto did the same thing. After a moment Temari felt two chakra sources closing in on Sakura's location. It felt like Ino and someone else. Shifting her gaze to Naruto Temari tried to think of what to talk about next.

* * *

Sakura was clenching her hands tightly together as she watched Temari and Naruto settle down and look at the village. She lost the anger she felt toward Temari as Naruto had spoken about her, but now she had a new problem. She felt terrible after hearing how highly Naruto thought of her. She knew the boy had a crush but she had always thought that his feelings were childish. In fact they were much deeper than she had thought the boy capable of having. She didn't hate Naruto in fact though she never said it she did, at times, appreciate his attempts to lighten the mood during boring d-rank missions, and though she didn't think he had a chance in hell she admired his ambition to be Hokage. She was pulled from her thoughts as she felt two people approach her position. Ino and Shikamaru dropped down beside her.

Ino spoke, "Sorry we're late this lazy bum drug his ass."

Shikamaru grunted, "Well you wouldn't explain what was going on until after I left." He turned to Sakura, "What has happened?"

Sakura turned her head as she suppressed a light blush and quickly replied, "Not a lot. Just talked about the view and Naruto's pranks."

Shikamaru gave Sakura a short piercing quick stare before nodding, "Right." In his head however he thought 'From the look on her face they must have talked about her and she is embarrassed about how much Naruto likes her.'

The three turned back to the pair of blonds as the conversation started back up.

* * *

Temari felt the arrival of Ino and another presence. It felt similar to the Nara boy and this confirmed her earlier suspicions about the boy's intelligence. Quickly thinking Temari felt it was time to get what she could about the boy's skills.

"Naruto if you don't mind my asking, what kind of ninja are you?"

Naruto gave her a look, "I don't know if we should talk about that, and besides I'm not sure I have a particular skill set yet."

Temari nodded, "That's fine. To make it fair I will tell you a bit about me if you want."

Naruto took a moment and nodded his assent, Temari smiled, "I am a long range fighter who uses wind jutsu and I have problems with genjutsu."

That might have been dangerous information to give out to potential rivals in the Chuunin Exam but she figured that even if she came up against one of the people here she hadn't given all her secrets up and she had more experience than them.

Naruto spoke up, "I suck at genjutsu too. I am a mid close to mid range fighter though I think I could be a good long range fighter too. I don't know a whole lot of sealing techniques but the ones I do know are advanced. I love ninjutsu even though I don't know that many. I don't know my element, and to tell you the truth I'm not even sure what that means.

Temari gave the boy a disbelieving look, "They didn't teach you that in the academy?"

Naruto laughed, "Maybe I didn't go all the time and sometimes when I did I didn't pay attention."

Temari yelled, "I thought you were serious about being a ninja!"

Naruto yelled back, "I am but only one of the teachers ever really helped me because of the Ky-… because I was a no name orphan."

Temari and Shikamaru both caught that Naruto changed what he was about to say and needless to say they were intrigued by what he was about to say. Temari wasn't able to press the issue as Naruto started a new subject.

"Temari… your brother… Gaara… is he okay? I mean he seemed…"

Temari spoke, "Off."

Naruto shook his head, "No. Sad, angry too, very angry, but mostly just sad, lonely."

The older girl was silent before she spoke in a sad tone, "Gaara has… had a hard life. Our mother died giving birth to him. She was very popular and she was extremely important to our family. When she died father seemed to change and he became cold and distant. He pushed Gaara away from us and kept him isolated. Everyone blamed Gaara for what took place, including myself. I feel awful for that now because I know it wasn't his fault, and I wish I had tried to be a real sister to him, but I loved and admired her so much I just wanted to take my anger out on someone. My mother's brother was supposed to take care of him and he did for awhile, but… in the end Gaara was all alone. I've tried to get closer to him since we've been on a team, but it isn't easy, Gaara's been driven almost completely insane by some of the things that have happened to him and he's almost as likely to kill someone rather than look at them if they take an interest in him."

An odd look that Temari couldn't even begin to place came over the younger blonde's face and he spoke with a voice that sounded like it was coming from a thousand miles away, "To be blamed and hated for something you can't control… to be all alone among a crowd. To not really understand why…" Inside his mind he completed his thoughts 'I can't blame him for losing his mind I know how infuriating it was to be all alone and how close I came to that.'

Naruto turned to Temari with a determined fire in his eye, "Do you think you could get Gaara to hang out with me awhile?"

In their cover Shikamaru, Sakura, and Ino had surprised looks on their faces, but Temari's look of shock trumped them all. She spoke, "Wha… You want… I'm sorry but I can't get you involved in this."

Naruto cut her off, "But I can help Gaara open up I can give him someone to really talk to."

Temari shook her head, "I appreciate the offer Naruto-kun, and I will help Gaara but I don't want to get you involved in this. If you got hurt I would never forgive myself."

Naruto looked as though he was about to argue but Temari cut him off with a smooth lie, "When I get Gaara to open up some I'll be sure to remember that you are ready to help him. I promise."

The younger blonde looked like he was going to yell some but in the end he huffed and turned his head toward the village below.

Temari, eager to distract the boy, decided to continue finding out about the boy. Not knowing what made her think of the question she blurted it out with such force that it startled Naruto with its simplicity.

"Who is your favorite Hokage?"

Naruto looked at the girl before turning his head to the head farthest to his left and spoke in a whisper, "My… favorite Hokage?"

Six months ago Naruto would have answered that question without a second of thought but since he had learned the truth about the Kyuubi and what the man had done to him his feelings were still very muddled. Part of Naruto would punch the man if it were possible but even that part didn't hate the man. He had saved everyone including Naruto from death, and the Sandaime told him that the Yondaime had asked he be treated like a hero. Had Yondaime really seen him as one? That thought made Naruto's heart stir with pride that as great a ninja as the Yondaime had seen him as hero. He had trusted Naruto with this power… and burden.

Realizing he had been silent for a little while he spoke, "The Yondaime. He's my favorite. He was just so damn cool."

Temari laughed at that answer but she couldn't help but wonder why the boy had hesitated she was getting ready to speak when a presence she hadn't felt jumped behind Naruto and herself and spoke in an amused tone.

"Well well… I am shocked at this. I thought this was a perverted activity Naruto?"

Naruto and Temari spun to see the masked face of Hatake Kakashi, who even though he wore a mask it was clear he, had a smile on his face. Kakashi continued.

"I am very impressed Naruto, the Kazekage's daughter, though if the two of you were found out by someone else you both would be in major trouble. Though I must say I am disappointed that you would profess your feelings to Sakura and then turn around and offer your favors to Temari-chan."

Naruto stood up and yelled, "We were just talking and I would never toy with Sakura-chan's heart!"

As Sakura blushed in the background Temari spoke softly though with a slight blush at being accused of what the jonin was accusing the pair of. "Please Hatake-san Naruto and I were just talking. We just lost track of time so please forgive us.

Kakashi looked thoughtful and then nodded, "Alright, but next time you two want to "enjoy the view" be more discreet." The two started to protest again but Kakashi cut them off, "Now now, Naruto escort Temari-chan to her hotel and then go and get some rest, you should start to prepare for the Chunin Exam early."

The pair quickly beat down the path to the village below, and after they were out of earshot Kakashi turned to the bushes where Shikamaru, Sakura, and Ino were hidden. He walked over and pulled back the branches revealing the trio.

His bemused voice rang out, "Well this is a surprise! I never thought I would live to see a Nara try to deal with two girls at the same time. Wait until I tell Asuma his star pupil was able to win not one but two girls away from one of my students he will be so proud. I should warn you though the aftermaths of threesomes can be very awkward."

The two girls had deep dark blushes on their faces and they stood up quickly and began to yell loudly at the older man. Shikamaru, who also had a slight blush on his face, stood slowly and spoke in a even and clear voice, "Troublesome, You shouldn't have gotten them so riled up. I know you know what's going on here."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows and spoke, "Oh? Tell what's going on here."

Shikamaru sighed, "We were here to see what Temari's interest in Naruto is."

Kakashi frowned, "I'm glad you're trying to look underneath the underneath but Temari is our ally, and even if she does have ulterior motives then you should still trust Naruto to take care of himself. Or you should warn him but not spy on him behind his back."

The three looked down in shame and Kakashi continued, "You should all return home immediately and get to bed."

Sakura and Ino turned to walk away. Shikamaru stayed and spoke to Kakashi in a questioning voice, "You're right we handled this badly, but that doesn't mean our suspicions have no basis. She showed no interest in Naruto when they first met but after she left the hotel she was all over him. That means that something happened in the hotel to suddenly spike an interest in him, and the Kazekage kept shooting weird looks at him every so often."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "So you think the Kazekage of Suangakure no Sato ordered his daughter to get close to an orphaned genin for…?"

Shikamaru was silent before looking away, "I'm not stupid I've seen the way Naruto is treated by a lot of the adults. What is it about him that they don't like?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Why don't you ask him? Or ask yourself why when all the adults looked down on him you didn't try to be a friend to him"

Kakashi turned to leave but he stopped as Shikamaru let a frustrated growl fall from his mouth, "Choji and I did when we were at the academy, but outside of class… hell most of the time in it… he's just so exhausting… I wish I could keep up with him… I wanted to but I couldn't."

Kakashi gave the boy a sad masked smile, "You didn't really try. That's something that could easily be changed and Naruto would always be grateful."

Shikamaru looked down and walked toward the path down to the village. Kakashi watched the boy's retreating back and smiled, 'These kids might be okay after all, and Shikamaru might be the most promising candidate for chunin this time around.'

* * *

Sakura trudged tiredly ahead of Ino letting out a deep sigh. The blonde girl looked at the pinkette's back and gave a forlorn smile. Coming to a decision Ino nodded to her self and spoke in a teasing tone.

"Wow forehead you look beat. My house isn't to far from here why don't you just stay with me tonight?"

Sakura turned to the girl with a surprised look on her face and thought about all the times they had spent the night with each other when they were younger. A pang ran through Sakura's heart and she looked at the ground.

Ino continued to talk, "My parents are both on a mission and you could just tell your parents that you came over to my place to keep me company and lost track of time."

Sakura looked into her former friend's eyes and slowly she offered the girl a smile, "I guess that works out. My mom will be pleased; she's worried because you and I aren't as close any more."

Ino nodded and moved past Sakura and as she did she said, "Me too."

Sakura stood still and watched the girl move away for a moment before shaking off her stupor and following Ino.

* * *

Temari walked beside the short boy and kept shooting him bemused glances. He had an annoyed look on his face due to the confrontation he had with his sensei and she had thought it best to just leave him alone and not force him to talk. After awhile his mood had improved and he looked more relaxed. Temari was about to ask him a question when she noticed that many people that they passed were staring at the boy with a wide array of emotions ranging from anger to what appeared to be fear. Temari felt a shiver run up her spine at how similar it was to the looks that Gaara received. If Naruto noticed he showed no sign of it. Temari was stunned by the feeling that she had received and was unable to begin a conversation before they had arrived at the hotel.

Temari looked at the boy and offered him a smile, "Well Naruto-kun I guess this is goodnight. I had a lot of fun with you tonight. I hope I see you tomorrow since the exam is two days away."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah today was cool… Temari about Gaara… Do you really want to help him?"

Temari nodded, "Of course!"

Naruto spoke in serious tone that shocked Temari, "Then you need to tell him how you really feel."

Temari responded, "It's not that easy."

Naruto answered, "I know that but I can say that when I was all alone I would have given anything to know that there was just one person who really cared about me." 'I still would' "Just tell Gaara that you care and one day he will give you a chance to prove it."

Temari looked at the boy in shocked silence. Eventually Naruto just smiled and walked away saying, "Goodnight Temari."

Temari softly replied, "G'night Naruto-kun. Thank you for the advice."

Temari turned and made her way to her room. Unnoticed to her were the pair of ringed eyes of that belonged to her brother that looked at her with a mixture of shock, anger, and a desperate hope that even the boy himself didn't realize was there.

**

* * *

**

**AN: Hello all! School has been crazy and I am in the middle of finals so I haven't had much time to work luckily I was most of the way done with this chapter. Next time will see the start of the exam. Anyway, Please read and review. It sustains me. lol. Thanks ahead of time.**


	6. Information

**AN: Here is a late Valentines present from me to you. Thanks to all who have been reading and reviewing. I have responded to some of them and I will continue to try and catch up with the huge back log. Anyway enjoy.**

* * *

"_Are you sure they are ready Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked cautiously._

"_Of course, six months with me has those kids ready to take the next step." The white haired young man boasted. _

_Tsunade spoke, "Don't be so full of yourself! This might be an exam but those kids could still die, and that will be on your head!"_

_Orochimaru chuckled, "Tsunade is right; your pride has been known to bite off more than you can chew."_

_Jiraiya puffed up, "Huh, very funny Orochimaru. Listen Akina and Anji are skilled enough to get through the second round and if they get lucky and get a good match up that lets them show their worth then they could make it, but let me say this Minato will win this exam."_

_The other two Sannin and Hokage eye's widened. After a moment the Hokage spoke, "Jiraiya, the Chuunin Exams are a new experiment that for the past three years I have championed as a way to advertise the skills of the various villages that cuts down on direct conflict between them and so far the results are promising. However this new system has many opponents from the outside of this village and within." At this point his gazed shifted to Orochimaru._

_The pale man smiled, "I admit I had my doubts Sensei but I have been pleasantly surprised at how well they have worked so far. I believe that soon many more villages will start taking part. In fact I have heard rumors that Iwa is trying to orgainize their own."_

_Jiraiya spoke, "Not to interrupt you Orochi, but what is your point Sensei? I know all of this already."_

_The Hokage spoke, "My point is that you are my student and people that don't agree with these exams will use them to try and hurt me by hurting you which means hurting your students. You should be protective of them as they are a part of your legacy as the three of you are a part of mine."_

_Jiraiya gave his teacher a smile, "I get what you're saying sensei, and don't worry I have faith that my students are ready for this, that they can take of themselves and each other, that they understand what it means to be a Konoha shinobi and that they have the Will of Fire._

_The Hokage gazed into his pupils eyes and after a few moments nodded and gave a small smile._

_~Jiraiya entering his genin team in the seventh Chunnin Exam_

**Chapter 6: Information & Conflict**

Yuuhi Kurenai walked in a comfortable silence by Sarutobi Asuma. The woman had by chance met the man on his way into the Hokage Tower. They were each going to a jounin meeting to be briefed about and formally declare their teams for the Chuunin Exam. They had met while they were chuunin on a mission and formed a casual friendship during the last war. After the war they continued the friendship and had occasional flings for about a year and Kurenai had felt that Asuma wanted to progress things with her, however he had a falling out with his father and left for the capital to become one of the Twelve Ninja Guardians. He had been back for about a year and a half but they hadn't reconnected until they had run into each other when they went to the meeting where they were assigned genin teams six months before hand. She, though disappointed, continued to work at her skills and though not as quickly as some she earned the rank of jounin and was quickly earning respect, admiration, and in some cases romantic attention from her peers. Flattered though she was she had turned down all of those attentions… at least so far.

As the pair entered the staff room she gave a slight frown at one of those that had come onto her, Hatake Kakashi. She liked the man as ninja in the field and when he did go out with others in the service he always contributed well to the general mood never causing trouble and using his dry sarcastic sense of humor to great effect. He was also a useful source of information about a variety of subjects that all ninja would find useful, and even a surprising amount of gossip that many kunoichi took to be among the best in the whole village. The only real problems she had with the man was his habit of reading porn for long stretches of time with no regard for his location or company, and the blunt way in which he had asked her out. He had come up to her after a meeting when she was alone and asked her straight out if she would like to have sex with him that night or at some point later. She slapped the man and yelled at him for being so lewd and brazen with someone he barely knew. She would have been even angrier at him if he hadn't replied the way he did. With a calm voice and no anger in his eyes at her for slapping him he sincerely apologized and said that he was just trying to be honest about what he was looking for in a relationship, and that he assumed she was looking for the same thing as she had turned down many offers for 'real' dates. He then said that he held no ill will for her refusal, hoped that she could forgive him, and apologized that he hadn't found a more appropriate way to phrase his request. She told her friend Anko about the encounter and the other woman laughed saying that that was 'classic Kakashi'. Slowly she was forgiving the man but she was still annoyed at him.

Asuma noticed the man to and called out to him, "Yo Kakashi! I'm surprised you're here early."

The man looked up from his book, "Huh? I need to see the Hokage and just stopped by."

Kurenai chuckled and Asuma sighed, "You're not here for the jounin meeting?"

Kakashi stared blankly for a moment before exclaiming, "Oh yeah! Well this is good fortune then. I need to nominate my team formally just like you two and you might want to hear this too Asuma. It involves two members of your team."

The bearded man gave Kakashi a questioning look and was about to speak when a speaker in the room went off, "Hatake Kakashi, the Hokage will see you in the meeting room."

Kakashi stood and made his way to the adjacent room waving for Asuma and Kurenai to follow. They reached the door and walked in to see the Hokage reading an orange book and smoking his pipe the man looked up to see Kurenai and quickly stuffed the book into his robe and spilling some of the tobacco out of the pipe.

Kakashi spoke in an amused tone, "Were you reading the Yami and Sayo scene? That is such a moving one."

The Hokage blushed as Asuma laughed and Kurenai stifled a one. The old man spoke, "I was under the impression it was just you Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded, "It was but they ran into me and I thought they should here this too."

The Hokage motioned for him to continue so he did, "Last night I was patrolling the top of the Hokage Monument and ran into Naruto with the Kazekage's daughter."

The other's eyes in the room shot up. Asuma laughed and Kurenai murmured, "So young." The Hokage spoke in a shocked tone, "Please don't tell me Naruto was… being involved with the girl."

Kakashi shook his head, "No. She was questioning him about himself. I also found Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru watching them. Ino and Sakura felt that Temari's interest in the boy was an attempt to gather information for the Chuunin exam and they dragged the Nara along to confirm."

Asuma straightened up at this and the Hokage spoke, "What was his assessment?"

"That she was up to something. I told them they should trust Naruto to take care of himself and not to distrust our allies so readily. Though I have to say I think Shikamaru is chuunin material."

Asuma puffed up with pride at that and Kurenai spoke, "Forgive me Kakashi-san, Hokage-sama, but from what I have heard about Uzumaki he might be too eager to make friends and give something important up."

Kakashi shook his head, "Naruto wouldn't do that to his teammates and anything he tells her about himself will do no good. He's far too unpredictable to strategize against."

The Hokage spoke, "The girl doesn't want the information for herself but for her father."

Kakashi replied, "Then they will both be disappointed because Naruto doesn't know the information they want, and he isn't ready to reveal the Kyuubi to any of his friends much less some girl he just met."

Kurenai confused inquired, "What kind of information could a genin hold that would be of interest to the Kazekage?"

The Hokage looked at the young woman for a moment and then spoke in an offhanded tone, "All information is important for all ninja Kurenai-chan in any event Naruto will not give them what they want to know. Now as to what they want to know that is an S-class secret that only I as Hokage can reveal and will do so only on a need to know basis. Don't feel bad though I would have told you, Asuma, or the other jounins if Naruto had ended up on your teams. Of course Kakashi already knew the information through his role as ANBU Commander and that was part of the reason I assigned Naruto to him."

Asuma and Kurenai were silent but eventually they nodded with acceptance though their curiosity was stirred. Kakashi was silent and had pulled out his book at the small lie that the Hokage had told. He had known the information outside the purview of being the ANBU Commander because of his relationship with the boy's parents.

The Hokage spoke to Kakashi, "What do you think should be done about this?"

Kakashi replied, "I don't think we should do much too actively hinder the girl's role. Let them think that we aren't taking much notice in their interest. Maybe have Asuma's and Kurenai's teams run into them and in the interest of friendly relations with Suna be sociable. It isn't really important, the exams will start tomorrow and she won't have time to get much. I just thought you should know."

The Hokage nodded and Asuma spoke up, "You wouldn't let Shikamaru and the girls think you were spying on Naruto and Temari too what did you tell them to put them off the trail?"

Kakashi's eye turned up in his trademark smile, "Well I expressed surprise that Shikamaru was enough of a ladies' man that he was able to steal the top two of my student's fan girls and then I warned them on the awkwardness that can appear after threesomes."

Asuma laughed while Kurenai blushed deeply and the Hokage's nose began to bleed slightly. Asuma spoke, "I forgot about that. Anko and Rukia wouldn't speak to you for weeks."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner. The Hokage cleared his throat, "Well thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will accept your suggestion mainly because we have so many other things to worry about at the moment, and who knows perhaps the genin can all learn something from each other if we let them make their own choices."

The three jounin nodded and took their seats to wait for the others to arrive and for the meeting to begin.

* * *

Sakura gazed down from Team 7's bridge into the flowing water beneath it. She was the first to show up and was now waiting for her teammates to show up. However unlike most times Sasuke wasn't dominating her thoughts, instead it was Naruto. Her head was stunned at what Naruto had said about her while her heart spun. She was feeling extremely guilty about how she treated the boy, which she did feel from time to time but this was far more powerful than what she usually felt. She also had no idea about how to deal with the situation that wouldn't hurt Naruto too badly. Ino generally had good advice when it came to understanding and dealing with boys, but though the previous night she had decided to try and fix things between herself and the blonde girl she wanted to take things slowly. There was only one other person Sakura could ask for help and though it embarrassed her she resolved to talk to her mother.

So lost in her own thoughts she didn't notice Sasuke arrive at the bridge. The raven haired boy had watched the water beside Sakura for a couple of minutes and when he wasn't acknowledged by the pink haired girl he gave her a probing look. Eventually the girl looked up and gave a shocked shout and blushed when she saw the boy.

Speaking with a trembling voice, "Sasuke-kun! You startled me."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment longer before replying, "What's on your mind?"

Sakura blushed, "Oh… um… uh… Well last night after you left Ino and I noticed that Naru-"

The pink haired girl broke off her sentence as the blue eyed boy ran down the bridge to meet up with his teammates.

"Hey Sakura-chan, teme! How's it going?"

Sasuke slowly turned his gaze from Sakura to Naruto and grunted while the Sakura gave a forced smile and replied, "Fine. How are you?'

Naruto grinned, "Great! I'm stoked about the Chunnin Exam starting! I'm going to get promoted and get one step closer to being Hokage!"

Sasuke gave a small smile and 'hmpf' and Sakura stared at the boy intently. It was at that point that Kakashi appeared before the group in a swirl of leaves reading his trademark orange book.

"Yo!"

Naruto pointed at his teacher, "You're late!"

Kakashi didn't look up from his book but he spoke in a warning tone, "What was that Naruto? I was up later than I had meant to be last night. I went up to the monument to take care of some trespassers, and didn't get home until very late and I'm so tired I can't hear well."

Naruto shrank back and cast a nervous look back at Sakura who was doing her best not to look at the boy. He spoke quickly and apologetically to Kakashi so his sensei wouldn't reveal that he had been with another girl on top of the Hokage Monument, "Wel… well then that's okay."

Sasuke shot Naruto a surprised look. Kakashi smiled, put his book up, and took out three sets of paper. He proceeded to hand one to each of his students and spoke, "These are consent forms for the exam. If you want to compete you have to sign and bring these to room 301 at the ninja academy nine a.m. If you don't want to then don't come. I am letting you off today because you each need to think long and hard about this. This exam will be dangerous, people have died. Now go think long and hard and if you decide to do it then get a good sleep."

He then teleported in a swirl of leaves. Sakura turned to Naruto and Sasuke and asked, "Are you to going to do it?"

Both boys replied at once, "Of course!"

Sakura gave a half smile half grimace, 'Stupid question.'

Naruto noticed, "What's wrong Sakura-chan? Aren't you going to compete too?"

Sakura meekly looked at the two boys, "I don't know. Do you really think I could make it?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "Of course you've done everything Kakashi-sensei has asked you to do well and you're smarter than anyone I know so you should do really well in any kind of test. I believe in you Sakura-chan."

Sakura felt the feelings that she had been fighting all morning come roaring back to the fore and she blushed slightly. Sasuke spoke in a surprisingly comforting tone, "The exam is broken into different parts. I imagine they get more dangerous as they go on so you should see what each part is like and if you get to a section that you don't feel comfortable with you can give up. Then when you take it again you will have experience and be able to pass. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't nominate you if he didn't think you would do well."

Unbidden Sakura thought 'Oh Sasuke-kun I wish you could be sweet like Naruto from time to time, but at least you are doing your best to convince me and even if that is just because I'm your teammate I am thankful.'

Sakura smiled and nodded, "Alright I'll compete too, Thank you both so much and I'll do my very best even though I don't think I'll do as well as you Sasuke-kun." She noticed Naruto's frown and then she added, "Or you Naruto."

The blonde and Sasuke both showed surprise and eventually Naruto grinned and spoke, "You'll do great Sakura-chan. Hey! Why don't we go get some lunch as a team to celebrate our entry?"

Sasuke shook his head and began to walk away, "No, it's too early for lunch and I want to prepare my equipment for the exams, which is something we should all do." Naruto frowned at the boy's back and Sakura looked down in disappointment, but before he got to far away from the group he turned his head and spoke, "Besides it wouldn't be appropriate to celebrate before we pass the exam."

Sakura smiled as did Naruto who spoke, "Ha! Alright but the person who does the best gets to pick where we eat."

The corners of Sasuke's mouth turned up into a small smile and he nodded before walking away.

Naruto turned to Sakura and asked, "Well Sakura-chan… how about we go get some food?"

Sakura was silent, "Ah… well it is very early for lunch Naruto, and I ate breakfast. I should go home and tell my parents about the exam and get some stuff ready, but… why don't we meet for dinner tonight.

Naruto's eyes lit up and he began to jump up and down excitedly, "That's great! When should we meet?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and amusedly shook her head, "Let's say 7:30. Pick me up at my house, but no ramen stand and you have to pay."

Naruto nodded his head, "Okay! Wow I can't wait!"

Sakura laughed and started to walk away, "Don't be late."

As she made her way home Sakura decided firmly and finally to speak with her mother about what she should do.

* * *

Temari sat down at the ramen stand beside a skinny brown haired chunnin who was pulling out some cash and paying his bill. The girl named Ayame was waving bye to the man with a slight blush on her face that the chunnin didn't notice.

As he turned around he nearly bumped into a beautiful woman with striking red eyes. Embarrassed he rubbed the back of his head, "Ah. Please forgive me Yuuhi-san I didn't see you there. Your team here for an early lunch?"

The woman nodded and spoke in a chiding tone, "Yes they are and please Iruka-san you may call me Kurenai."

Iruka rubbed the back of his head, "Right, I'll try to remember that." He then turned to three genin and spoke warmly, "I'm glad to see you three and know that you've been working very hard." Then the three responded in unison.

The boy wearing sun glasses and high collar jacket nodded and spoke, "Thank you sensei." The girl with strange purple white eyes spoke, "Thank you very much." The boy with red face tattoos and wild brown hair spoke while the small white puppy that sat on his head barked in unison, "Thanks!"

The man smiled for a moment but then it feel a little, "You all be careful in the Chunnin exam and be sure to visit me from time to time."

Temari watched as the man walked away and the team came in and sat down. The feral looking boy blatantly checked Temari out and sat down beside her with a wide smile while his dog did the same. On his other side the girl sat down then the other boy and finally the woman. The old man greeted them all warmly and his daughter began to take their orders. When she came to Temari she smiled warmly and spoke, "Glad to see you back Temari-san. What can I get you?"

Temari smiled, "I'll have a large miso and a salad please. Was that man your boyfriend?"

Ayame blushed deeply while her father gave her a piercing look, "Oh no! That was Iruka, he's just a friend and one our best customers."

Temari nodded and spoke, "I see. Speaking of your best customers has Naruto been in yet today?"

The heads of those sitting beside her all turned quickly to face the girl.

Ayame shook her head, "Not today. He probably was meeting his team early so I imagine he'll be here before to long."

Temari nodded and hunched over the bar waiting for her food. The boy beside her spoke up, "How do you know Naruto?"

Temari looked at the boy, "We met yesterday and we talked for a little while. How do you know him?"

The boy replied, "He graduated in our class at the academy. I'm Inuzuka Kiba. This is my partner Akamaru." The small dog barked brightly.

Temari nodded, "I'm Sabaku no Temari. I'm in town for the Chunnin Exam."

Kiba smiled, "We're competing too. Where are you from?"

Temari replied, "I'm from Suna."

Kiba replied, "Cool."

The older woman spoke up, "I'm Yuuhi Kurenai. This is Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata. How are you enjoying Konoha so far?"

Temari's eyes widened a little, "I like it. It's very different from home but it's not bad at all. I must say that I've heard about you and must say I'm very impressed."

Kurenai smiled, "I don't know what you've heard but I thank you for your praise. I am where I am in life because of hard work".

Temari smiled, "I can't tell you how good it is to see a young powerful kunoichi. There seem to be so few theses days and it can be discouraging."

Kurenai nodded, "It isn't a life most girls aspire to, and most of the girls I served with during the war were just serving as ninja because of it and once it was over they retired. You can see during periods of peace at most a third of all countries ninja forces are made up of women."

Temari replied, "And eighty percent of those women are chunnin at the highest. An-

"Temari!"

The girl stopped and turned to see the elder of her brothers. Sighing she replied, "What is it Kankuro?"

The boy spoke in an annoyed voice, "Baki-sensei says we have a meeting in two hours."

As the boy sat down Temari introduced him to those she was sitting with. The boy mumbled a greeting and ordered a bowl of beef ramen. Temari asked, "Where's Gaara?"

The boy responded, "Sensei's with him. He was acting weird this morning. Did you see him when you got back last night?"

The girl shook her head, "I figured he was on a roof somewhere. What do you mean by 'acting weird?'"

"He was muttering more than usual about 'what does he know about being alone' and stuff like that. He wasn't really mad or angry more… curious I guess."

Temari's throat became very dry. Deciding to turn her conversation back to the team beside her so as not to raise her brother's suspicion, "So do you all come here often?"

Kiba responded, "Nah! Kurenai-sensei has us run drills through an obstacle course and whoever finishes fastest gets to choose where we eat for lunch or dinner. Hinata won today for the first time and she chose to come here."

The girl looked down at the counter with a small smile with her teacher giving her a small proud one. Temari gave the girl a genuine grin and spoke, "Good for you! Keep up the hard work and keep these boys in line."

The girl stammered, "H-Hai! I will."

Kankuro rolled his eyes and ordered, "Hey could I get an extra large beef to go?"

Temari spoke to her brother, "I hope you aren't expecting me to pay for your meal."

Kankuro growled, "Of course not but next time you feed Gaara. He made me buy him food last night and if there is one thing that Gaara does normally it is stuffing his face."

While Kankuro waited for his food every one else got theirs and they all began to eat in a comfortable silence when it was suddenly shattered by a loud cry sounding outside the stand. "Hey Jiji I need an extra large beef bowl to quick!"

Naruto stormed up to the counter and jumped up to the bar and grabbed the edge to hold himself up between Kiba and Hinata. The boy's dog barked excitedly at the blond and Hinata's face back a dark shade of red that Ayame, Temari, and Kurenai noticed.

The old man smiled at Naruto, "Well you are fired up extra hot today. I'm sorry though it will take a couple of minutes because I'm already working on that order for someone else."

Naruto frowned and began to take in who was there, "Oh… Hey Kiba, Akamaru." He turned his head to Hinata and Shino, "Hey you're that Shino guy from the academy. Hinata are you okay? Do you have a fever?"

The girl shook her head slowly and stammered, "N… No… N… Naruto…"

Naruto stared at Kurenai's eyes before turning to Kiba, "Is that red eye lady your sensei?"

Kiba nodded and Akamaru barked, "That's right. Her name is Yuuhi Kurenai, she's the best."

Naruto turned back to the woman and stared at her a bit longer before shrugging, "She looks like she's pretty strong, but no way is she stronger than Kakashi-sensei."

Kiba growled at the boy and was about to reply until Naruto spotted Kankuro noticed that he was waiting for his food and spoke to him, "Hey Make up face? Can you let me get your order I'm in a hurry?"

Temari laughed as Kankuro yelled, "This isn't make up it's war paint and my name is Kankuro and the only way you're getting my food is if you knock me out!"

Naruto stared at the older boy for a moment and was about to reply when a high pitched voice cut into the stand from outside, "Naruto-oniisan!"

All in the stand turned to see the three ninja in the Konohamaru ninja corps. The young Sarutobi stared into Naruto's eyes and the older boy stared back. To all in the booth it looked as though they were sizing each other up for a massive showdown. Finally Konohamaru made his seal and shouted the name of his attack.

"**Oiroke no Jutsu**!"

Temari and all the girls in the stand watched in horror as the smoke cleared to reveille a nude teenaged girl. Kurenai and Temari had dark glares on their faces while Ayame and Hinata blushed a deep red. Shino stared in silence while the old chef chuckled, and Kankuro and Kiba had their mouths hanging open and blood running from their noses.

Naruto laughed lightly at the young boy who regained his original appearance and spoke in a lecturing tone, "Your form has gotten pretty good Konohamaru, but you still need to know _how_ to use that."

Konohamaru and his friends looked at Naruto with bright eyes and rapt attention. Naruto turned to Kankuro, gave a sly smile that to Temari oddly resembled a fox, and formed his seal, "Oiroke no Jutsu!" Kankuro sputtered as the busty and pigtailed girl before him closed on him and spoke in a sweet voice, "Oh Make up-kun wont you please share that big beef bowl with little old me?"

Kankuro's nose was steadily dripping blood and his eyes were bulging out of his head. Naruto put his hands up to his face and covered his face, "Please don't stare at me it's so embarrassing."

This was too much for the elder boy and his nose began to gush a torrent of blood sending him crashing to the ground. Naruto returned to his true form and laughed at the sight. The three young ninjas in training cheered Naruto's skill with the technique.

Moegi spoke, "Wow you beat him easily Niichan!"

Udon nodded, "Really good work. Why don't you come play ninja with us and show us how to do that?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and replied, "I'd love to guys but I have to get my gear ready for the Chuunin Exam tomorrow." Seeing the disappointment on their faces though he quickly added, "But the next time I get a day off after the exam I will spend the whole day with you guys."

The kids cheered and Konohamaru yelled, "That's that then because once Niichan makes a promise he keeps it, and don't worry we will keep working hard while you do the same. I won't let you beat me for the title of Hokage! Come on guys let's go try what we learned on Ebisu-sensei."

The kids bolted from the stand as quickly as they came. Naruto turned back to talk to the group to find an angry Temari staring into his eyes and she proceeded to question him in a tense tone.

"What the fuck was that?"

Naruto stared at the older girl confused, "What was what?"

Temari sighed, "Was that your anti-pervert jutsu?"

Naruto nodded and turned to Kankuro, "Yep, works great doesn't it?"

Temari yelled, "Do you know how demeaning that is to women?"

Naruto was confused, "De- what?"

Temari and everyone else gave the boy exasperated looks except for Hinata who looked down and gave herself an amused smile. The older girl was about to continue when Ayame announced that Kankuro's beef bowl was done.

Naruto quickly ran up to the counter and threw his money down, "He won't be needing this just yet go ahead and make another for him. I have to go and get ready for the exam and tonight."

The boy blew out of the stand with the food leaving Temari fuming, "Hey Naruto I wasn't done with you yet." The Suna girl ran to the counter and paid for her meal and chased after the boy."

The stand fell into silence and team eight was left with the unconscious Kankuro and the two ramen stand workers. Kurenai turned to her team and spoke to them, "I am very glad I am your sensei."

Her students smiled at her and went back to their meals. Kurenai also noticed that Hinata glanced worriedly at the retreating figures of Temari and Naruto. The older woman smiled at her only female student and thought, '_Hinata you surprise me more and more. I can see why you like him though. It seems he has a very magnetic personality if you let him close enough. We'll have to have some girl talk soon.'_

* * *

Sakura's mother Mei knocked on her daughter's door and spoke with a kind tone, "Sweetheart I'm back from the market. I didn't think you would be home until later."

Her daughter turned from her closet and gave her mother a smile, "Hi mom, Kakashi-sensei let us off so we could prepare for the Chuunin Exam tomorrow."

Her mother's eyebrows shot up, "Oh? I didn't realize that your team was nominated."

Sakura could tell that her mother was worried. Since she had joined the academy her mother had learned as much about the system as a civilian could learn and had formed a close friendship with Ino's parents and asked them numerous questions about the lifestyle.

The girl smiled, "Kakashi-sensei thinks we're ready. I figure I'll see what it's like and give it my best so even if I don't pass I'll have some experience for the next time."

Her mother gave her a strained smile, "I understand but if you do pass then that means that you'll be up for more dangerous missions. I had thought it would take at least a year before I had to really worry."

Sakura replied worriedly, "Don't worry Kaa-san I'll be fine. I'll try to be more open about what's going on so I don't shock you like this again. I know I've been really busy and distant lately."

Mei smiled at her daughter, sat down on her bed, and motioned for her daughter to do the same, "I understand that dear. I just want you to know that your father and I are very proud of you."

Sakura smiled sadly, "I know, I'm sorry that I leave you alone when Tou-san and I are gone."

Her mother laughed lightly, "Don't worry about that your father is gone for two weeks every six months on trips to the capitol for his companies books and stock keeping. In fact he might be getting a promotion so he will just do the management job for the company in Konoha. You two may be getting your promotions together."

Sakura laughed and gave her mother a tight hug which the older woman returned. Mei pulled back and spoke, "Come on I'll fix us a nice lunch and start to thaw out the beef for tonight's dinner and you can tell about how things are going."

Mei left the bed and began to make her way downstairs to the kitchen with Sakura behind her speaking, "Actually mom there is something important I need to talk to you about right now, and I won't be here for dinner."

Mei stopped at her refrigerator and turned to her daughter with a surprised look on her face, "Why not?"

Sakura blushed a little, "Well I have a sort of date."

Mei blinked for a moment and then gave her daughter a sly smile, "I see… is it the Uchiha boy?"

Sakura shook her head, "No with my other teammate."

Mei was about to respond but she stopped and then started again, "I don't remember you mentioning him before."

Sakura's blushed deepened, "That's part of my problem. He's a really nice guy but he is also really immature and it makes him very annoying. I've been really hard on him and last night I overheard him talking about me to another girl, and well I see that he's a lot more serious about me than I thought. Anyway I feel really bad about the way I've treated him so I'm going out with him to try and make it up to him, and try to find a way to let him down easy so we can still be friends."

Mei nodded, "Well the best advice I can give you is to be honest with him and make it very clear how you feel so that there is no room for him to misunderstand, and tell him some good things about himself that you like and think others will like in him. It'll soften the blow and it will make things easier when you two are just being friends again."

Sakura nodded, "Thanks Kaa-san I really appreciate your advice."

Mei smiled and began to get some plates to put their sandwiches on while she asked, "What was his name again?"

Sakura had begun to clear the table and replied, "Oh its Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura was startled by the sound of a dish shattering and she turned to see her mother's pale face staring back at her, "Kaa-san what happened?"

Mei bent down quickly and started picking up the pieces and spoke in nervous tone, "Dear could you hand me the broom. I just lost my grip."

Sakura looked at her mother for a moment before going to retrieve it. She handed it to her mother and the kitchen fell into an uncomfortable silence as Mei cleaned the broken dish.

As she moved to the trashcan Mei spoke nervously, "You don't think Uzumaki-san would be very angry with you for rejecting him do you?"

Sakura laughed nervously, "Naruto? No way he doesn't have an angry bone in his body. The most he would probably do is pout."

Mei looked conflicted for a moment before she went back to making their food. Sakura spoke nervously.

"Kaa-san, Shikamaru, one of Ino's teammates, mentioned that almost all of the adults don't like Naruto, and now that I really think about it a lot do look at him very oddly. Why is that?"

Mei responded, "Well… It's mostly because of his pranks. That boy sure didn't help himself when he painted the Hokage monument."

Sakura stared at her mother's back for a moment knowing that the woman had lied to her, but she chose not to mention it. Mei turned around and placed their lunch on the table.

Sakura spoke to her mother in a firm tone, "Don't worry Kaa-san. Naruto would die before he would hurt one of his friends."

Mei and Sakura began to eat their meal in silence, before Mei spoke again, "Maybe you should wait to do this until after your exam. You know it could affect your teamwork."

Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe but I was just going to be a friend while we were on the date and then try to give him the hint that that is all we will be. Besides there is no way Naruto is going to let anything distract him from taking this exam, because it is one more step on his path to Hokage."

* * *

Temari took in her surroundings as she walked around Naruto's small dirty kitchen. Opening the cabinets she was stunned by the amount of cup ramen the boy had hoarded. She then turned her attention to his fridge. Inside was milk about to go stale and a few paltry fruits and vegetables that showed Naruto did from time to time eat them. Leaving she looked out into the boy's living room and watched as he tinkered with some of his supplies and sealed them into scrolls.

He felt her eyes on him looked up and gave the older girl a grin, "I'm sorry I don't get what you say about demeaning women."

Temari stuck her tongue out at the boy and replied, "You are well on your way to being a pervert too baka.

Naruto scoffed, "Not likely, besides as long as it's just looking what's the big deal?"

Temari shook her head, "You don't know much about women do you?"

Naruto was silent for a moment and then his face paled, "You're right I don't. Could you give me some advice?"

Temari was taken back in shock, "Me? I think you need to find someone else. I'm not exactly like most girls. Besides what's the rush?"

Naruto responded, "Sakura-chan and I have a date tonight!"

Temari's eyebrows rose in surprise and she thought to herself, 'That's surprising. What does she want?' Thinking a moment the older girl spoke.

"Alright, I'll help out. Tell me what you plan on doing tonight."

Naruto replied, "Going somewhere for dinner. She said no ramen so I don't know where."

Temari nodded, "Let her pick the place. She'll pick somewhere she likes so you can't go wrong. All you have to do is bring enough money. Do you have enough cash?"

Naruto nodded and pulled out a stuffed frog wallet, "Gama-chan is filled to the brim."

Temari's eyes shot open, "Do you put all of your money in that?"

Naruto shook his head, "Not all of it. Kakashi-sensei said the Hokage set up a bank account for me and he told me I should put in at least seventy-five percent of all my earnings into it. Anyway this is all the money of the twenty five percent I kept minus food and stuff like that."

Temari questioned, "What about rent?"

Naruto replied, "I own it."

Temari was shocked, "How do you own this apartment?"

Naruto looked down with a frown across his face, "Well the orphanage here just takes care of kids for about four years and usually everyone is adopted, but because of the Kyuubi attack there was a larger than normal number of orphans and no one wanted me. By the time I was five I wanted to be a ninja and the Hokage owned the whole building so he let me have this unit and used the money that the orphanage would have gotten to pay for my utilities and stuff. Now that I am a ninja I pay for them."

Temari nodded and was silent after awhile she spoke, "What are you going to wear?"

Naruto was confused, "What's wrong with this?"

Temari sighed, "This is going to be harder than I thought. Orange isn't the best color for a ninja and it clashes with your skin tone, hair, and eyes. I get that you like it but you want to look nice for her so you need something that looks good on you."

Naruto grudgingly walked back to his room and Temari followed. She took in the small cluttered room. There wasn't much in way of personal effects except for a set of photographs and a very odd night cap. There was one on his bed side table which was of him and his team, and another three on a book shelf under a calendar. One of him probably a couple of months ago with the skinny chuunin named Iruka she saw at the ramen stand earlier. The second one was about a year old which was of him and his class at the academy. Temari noticed his team and the two she had met already. The final picture was of a much younger Naruto that she figured was about four or five and the Hokage on top of the tower in with the previous Hokage's looking down at the pair. She couldn't help but smile at it.

Temari turned and spoke, "I like your pictures Naruto-kun."

The boy smiled from his position at his dresser where he was looking for clothes, "Thanks those, my cap, and my view are all I really need. What color should I wear?"

Temari replied, "Pick something around the shade of blue in your eyes and white or black it well look good on you." She then turned and noticed that directly in front of his window was the face of the Yondaime Hokage and it seemed to be looking into the room. It was easy to see why the boy liked his view.

After Naruto had picked a new outfit Temari was giving the boy a final few tips before she had to leave for her team meeting.

"If you see her parents when you pick her up or drop her off be polite. I know that's not your style but it will make you look good. Don't be late! Now what do you plan on talking about?"

Naruto thought for a moment, "I hadn't thought about it."

Temari nodded, "Don't talk about work unless she brings it up. Ask her about her day or if she's done anything fun lately. Talk about stuff you don't normally talk about. If she asks about you tell her something she might not know about you."

Naruto panicked, "I don't have anything she doesn't know about. All I have is being a ninja."

Temari prompted, "No hobbies?"

Naruto nodded, "I garden some. I'm not very good though everything I plant dies."

Temari grimaced, "You'll think of something. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help but I have a team meeting to get to."

Naruto nodded, "You've been a big help. Thank you."

Temari walked to the door and began to walk out when she turned back and jokingly said, "Don't forget to take a shower because you need one."

As Naruto stuck his tongue out Temari shut the door.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata waved goodbye to her teammates as they separated and began to make their ways home. She started to leave but stopped when her sensei placed her hand on her shoulder.

Kurenai smiled, "I'll walk you home Hinata. I'd like to talk if that's okay?"

The girl nodded and began to walk. The woman followed beside her in silence for a moment before speaking again, "I'm very proud you won the drill today."

Hinata smiled, "It was set up in a way that I'm more adept at handling."

Kurenai shook her head, "Still not so much that you could walk through while Shino and Kiba struggled. You worked just as hard and won the prize, which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about."

Hinata responded, "Oh?"

Kurenai smiled, "Why did you pick Ichiraku's?"

Hinata blushed slightly, "No particular reason. I hadn't been in awhile."

Kurenai responded, "Oh silly me, I thought it was because you wanted to see Naruto."

Hinata turned her head so quickly Kurenai was surprised that it didn't snap, "H-how did you…? Uh I mean…"

Kurenai shook her head with a bemused grin on her face, "Oh Hinata… To a fellow woman it was obvious. I must say I'm a little surprised that you aren't like most of your age group and chasing after Sasuke. Not that I'm disappointed. If you don't mind my asking why do you like him?"

Hinata blushed, "He… he was a lot like me in that everyone told him that he wasn't good enough, but unlike me he was able to stand up to them and continue to believe in himself. I'm not able to do that with my father but I remember thinking that if someone who was all alone like him could find the strength to do that I could find that strength. I admire his resolve so much but I can't find the courage to tell him how much he has helped reach this point. The thing that makes it worse is the fact that if I can't work up the courage to tell him that how will I ever work up the courage to tell him what I really feel."

Kurenai placed her hand on her students shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, "You'll get there Hinata. You don't realize just how much you have grown since you joined this team."

Hinata looked down sadly, "I pray you are right Kurenai-sensei, but I guess it doesn't really matter one way or another. Even when he becomes Hokage I doubt my father would find him a suitable match… he is an orphan after all."

Kurenai smiled sadly down at Hinata and thought, 'I forget that you have to deal with a lot more than I did at that age. Please don't give up your dreams Hinata.'

The pair slowly made their way into the setting sun.

* * *

**AN: Man oh man! Sorry it has taken so long to get this up but I decided that I wanted to add some stuff before the Exam starts and it was a lot longer than what I thought. Anyway the next chapter will probably have most of if not all of the first two parts plus a little extra. Please read and review it gives me power. I have answered most of the reviews I think now there were a few that wouldn't accept replies but the few I haven't answered I will continue to try and do so. **


	7. First Meetings

**AN: It's that time again! Thanks to all who read and reviewed! I have the power!!!! To continue that is. Anyway I hope everyone enjoys this one.**

* * *

_Karura slowly waddled into the Wind Tower's shaded garden and sat down on a smooth stone bench with a high back and let out a content sigh. She slowly rubbed her stomach as she felt her third child kick against her and smiled to her self. She was quickly taken from her thoughts as a woman about a year her junior with the most beautiful red hair she had ever seen came stumbling out of the near by restroom. She was sweating and had a hand over her mouth wiping away. After a moment she picked her self up and noticed Karura watching her with a bemused smile. The red haired woman blushed and bowed at the woman. Karura laughed and waived the woman over. The other woman hesitated and then moved and sat next to her._

_The red head spoke, "Forgive me Sabaku-hime. I haven't felt well."_

_Karura shook her head, "It's alright miss…?"_

_The woman spoke, "Uzumaki Kushina."_

_Karura nodded, "Yes I remember, you are a part of the Hokage's party."_

_Kushina replied, "I am off duty today and all the others are at the meeting. Although I haven't been feeling well enough to really take advantage of the time off."_

_Karura smiled, "Yes I know that feeling quite well the first time was by far the worst for me. How far along are you?"_

_Kushina shot the older woman a confused look, "What do you mean?"_

_Karura stared at the woman for a moment in surprise and then responded, "You're pregnant aren't you?"_

_Kushina blanched, "W-What?! No! I… I… oh Kami…"_

_Karura put her hand on the woman's shoulder as she bent over with her eyes wide, "Are you okay?"_

_After a moment Kushina stood up, "I've been so busy lately I lost track of… I'm off by weeks… How could I be so stupid?"_

_Karura spoke calmly, "It's okay it happens a lot more than you might think. I just assumed you were here as a prelude before you took on less active duties."_

_Kushina sat back down, "Oh man… I was supposed to finally get a genin team to test and …"_

_Karura spoke gently, "I take it you're not happy?"_

_Kushina looked at the woman and then shook her head, "Don't get me wrong I will be but I'm just shocked at the moment and I always wanted kids. I had just thought I'd be a little older before this happened… and married."_

_Karura spoke, "How will the father take it if you don't mind my asking?"_

_Kushina froze for a moment and then after a minute she smiled, "He'll be thrilled… the baka."_

_Karura smiled, "Then it seems to me you should be okay."_

_Kushina nodded smiling worriedly, "Yes, things will be just fine. If you don't mind my asking… is it worth it?"_

_Karura beamed, "Oh yes. Very much worth it. I used to think that I couldn't do anything more worthwhile than being the best kunoichi I possibly could be. That was before I had children."_

_Kushina stared in wonder, "Wow… I hope I don't suck at it."_

_Karura laughed at her bluntness, "You'll get the hang of it. No one is ever really ready for it."_

_Kushina nodded, "When is this one due?"_

_Karura replied, "The due date is February 1__st__ but I think they got the conception date wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes in the next day or two with his kicking and as big as I am."_

_Kushina goggled, "Wow I didn't realize the time could be so screwy without something being wrong. … Could I feel him kick?"_

_Karura nodded and Kushina placed her hand on Karura's stomach. Feeling a strong kick Kushina pulled back quickly in shock._

"_Wow! That was really strong! It hurts doesn't it?"_

_Karura smiled, "Sometimes but in the end it doesn't really matter because they are your child and you will do whatever you can to protect and keep them safe no matter the cost."_

_-January 10__th:__ nine days before Gaara's birthday and nine months before Naruto's. _

* * *

Sakura walked silently beside Naruto as they made their way from the restaurant. The boy had his hands behind his head and was walking quietly beside her. She was surprised at how well the boy had behaved himself while they were at dinner and how he had listened as she told him about her day. She was also stunned by his lack of talking so far this evening.

Speaking for the first time since they left the restaurant Sakura asked, "What did you think of the food Naruto?"

The dropped his arms and smiled, "It was good, not as good as the old man's ramen though, and I'm surprised at how fast it was."

Sakura nodded, "That was surprising I think they were expecting a really big group in a bit though. Nishimura-sama was to busy to come by and speak to me. When ever I go she usually stops by and we talk for a bit. Oh well that just means we can get back earlier and get more rest for the exam."

Naruto nodded with a slightly guilty look on his face which Sakura caught but she couldn't place what it meant, "Are you alright Naruto? You've been very quite tonight."

Naruto smiled, "Of course I feel fine Sakura-chan! Hey! Why don't we go set on that bench by those flowers?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. As the pair sat down they didn't notice the pair of sea green eyes of Temari focused on them. The girl had gotten out of her team meeting to see Naruto leaving his apartment and walking to meet Sakura outside of the girl's house. She had followed them to the restaurant and henged herself and watched the pair. Nothing of note had happened except Temari had noticed that the entire restaurant was extremely quiet and tense while the couple was there and as soon as they left the atmosphere lifted considerably.

The sky was begging to darken not only because of the quickly setting sun but also because clouds were rolling in and blocking the star and moonlight.

The pair was sitting quietly on the bench when Sakura spoke, "Oh I forgot to tell you I like your outfit."

Naruto blushed slightly. He had picked a white shirt with black trimming around the bottom and collar, short sleeves, and blue shorts, and around his neck he had his hitae-ate.

Naruto replied, "Thanks Sakura-chan. I'm glad you're feeling better tonight than you were this morning. You always look much prettier when you're happy."

Sakura blushed deeply while Temari scoffed in the back ground thinking, 'If that were any other guy I would totally say that was a line.'

Sakura replied, "I had a really long talk with my mother today. I've been so busy since we graduated that we hadn't really talked to each other like mother and daughter."

Naruto was confused, "How does that happen? Don't you see each other everyday?"

Sakura was silent for a moment thinking how to answer, "Well I do but usually I am rushing to finish a meal and get to training and missions, I am eating, or I am trying to get some rest before the next day. Then when we do talk we just talk about that particular day no real heart to heart talks."

Naruto didn't understand but replied, "What about your dad?"

Sakura smiled, "Well tou-san works all day sometimes I only really get to see him in the morning because by the time he gets home I am already asleep. He also makes trips to the capital a few times each year for weeks at a time for his trading company to look at books, but that might change soon because he may become manager for the firm in Konoha so hopefully I'll be able to see him more often. The more I think about things the more I realize how important family is to you."

Naruto shrugged, "I wouldn't know."

Sakura looked sadly at her teammate and asked, "I'm curious Naruto and you don't have to answer but do you have any clues about your family?"

Naruto was silent for a moment debating to himself and then he remembered some of the advice Temari gave him, '_tell her something no one knows'_ he then spoke slowly, "Actually… do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Temari's ears perked up and she waited to see the younger girl's response. Sakura could tell how serious the boy was and she nodded, "I swear."

Naruto looked up at the dark cloudy sky, "Every now and then I have this dream. In it I feel very small and I am very warm because these long slender arms are around me. Then another pair of arms lift me up. They're more muscular but they hold me just as gently and wrap me tightly and the blanket blocks most of my face and I can't see who picked me up. I am slowly turned back to the person who had been holding me and I can see their lips moving, but I can't understand what's being said because my hearing is muffled by something. I can make out who had been holding me. It was a beautiful woman with the most gorgeous red hair I've ever seen, and her eyes were a nice bright green not a jade like yours but similar. She looks at me and tears are streaming down her face and she says one last thing and then I wake up. I think that that woman was my mother…"

Sakura and Temari's eyes were watering at the story and Sakura was about to say something when Naruto just shook his head and chuckled, "That's got to be crazy though I've been alone at least since I was one and there is no way I could remember being a newborn."

Naruto stood up, walked over to some of the flowers, and turned his back to Sakura and she looked at him in a new light mixed with pity she began, "It's not crazy to dream about having a mother that loves you. Naruto… I know I'm not always the best teammate I can be but I want you to know that I am glad you're on my team."

The boy turned to Sakura and stared into her eyes with an intense gaze which threw her off but she continued, "You're a good guy Naruto loud, irritating, and immature but also brave, loyal, and from time to time you can be very sweet."

Naruto smiled at the girl with a slight blush and Sakura kicked herself, 'Damn it! I'm supposed to be letting him down easy.'

She opened her mouth to keep going but before she could go any further a terrible boom and flash of light cut her short and the sky opened into a torrential downpour. The two teammates quickly ran from the small park to a road that had closed shops with some tarps covering the fronts of them. Already they had been drenched.

Sakura spoke, "We're closest to my house. We can go there and I'll give you an umbrella that you can return later, and who knows it could stop raining by the time we get there."

Cursing as the pair ran ahead Temari removed her fan and placed it over her head slightly open and after debating whether or not to follow she decided that her curiosity over anything related to Uzumaki Naruto was worth getting a little wet for.

* * *

Haruno Gakuto sat staring at the clock on his wall with a small book on fishing that he had barely looked at on his knee. He had no luck concentrating while his daughter had been gone and now that it had started raining so hard he gave up all pretenses. His wife looked up from her own book of poetry and gave him a worried look.

"It's not even eight thirty yet… they probably just got done eating and might be waiting for the rain to stop."

Mei nodded, "I'm sure she's fine… I'm probably just being really paranoid… I mean if nothing has happened with _that_ so far it's just not going to happen tonight right?"

Gakuto nodded and was about to reply when he heard laughing coming from the small laundry room that connected the front door to family room. In came his daughter and the white clad Naruto drenched to the bone with rain water.

Naruto and Sakura had laughed the whole way back because the closer they got to her home the harder it rained. As they stepped into the warm living room Naruto looked at Sakura's parents. Her father was tall and skinny with light brown hair and dark forest green eyes. Her mother was a bit shorter than Gakuto with a slightly fuller frame than her daughter but not by much. Her hair was a light red and her eyes were very pale green. Naruto thought that she was very pretty.

Quickly remembering what Temari said Naruto bowed and spoke, "It's very nice to meet the both of you Haruno-sama. You have a very nice home."

Sakura looked at Naruto surprised that he had actually behaved politely in a social situation. Shaking out of the stupor quickly she spoke to her parents, "Tou-san kaa-san this is my teammate Uzumaki Naruto."

Her parents smiled politely and her father shook the boy's hand while Sakura continued, "We were on our way back and the bottom fell out. I figured that we could give Naruto a towel to dry himself off and an umbrella so he could get home."

Her father smiled, "Good idea sweetheart. Why don't you go take a nice hot shower and head to bed and we will see that Uzumaki-san gets off okay."

Sakura nodded, "Yes sir." She turned to Naruto, "I'll see you bright and early Naruto. Thank you for dinner. It was fun."

She went up stairs followed by her mother and Naruto called, "Sleep well Sakura-chan."

The girl smiled at him and gave one final wave goodnight.

As the mother and daughter walked up the stairs Gakuto spoke to Naruto, "Would you like something to drink while Mei gets you a towel and umbrella?"

Naruto shook his head, "No thanks. I'm okay."

Gakuto nodded and motioned for Naruto to sit and the boy did so though on the edge of the sofa so as not to get it to wet. Naruto looked around nervously until Gakuto cleared his throat.

"So you like my daughter?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes sir very much. She's wonderful."

Gakuto smiled, "Yes she is, so you can understand why I want to protect her."

Naruto gulped and Gakuto continued, "I want you to understand Uzumaki-san that I don't think you are the demon and I honestly believe that you have the best of intentions toward the village. I believe that because I trust that Sandaime-sama wouldn't trust you other wise, and judging by how you look at my daughter I can tell you care very deeply for her. That is why I will hope you understand why I don't want you to continue and try to court her as a girlfriend."

Naruto was stunned, "W- What?"

Gakuto sighed, "Please understand. This isn't personal but you of all people know how most of the village reacts to anything related to the Kyuubi even if it is only in a secondary manner. How do you think they would react to her if she was with you?"

Naruto was quite a moment before responding, "I'm going to prove myself to all of them they will know that I only want to protect this village and them! When I do that they won't care about that."

Gakuto replied, "What about before you do that? Okay if you do all that what then? Say you do become Hokage, what kind of life could you really expect to lead with Sakura if you make it? Assassination attempts on you or her?"

Naruto replied, "I'd protect her just like I would protect everyone else!"

Gakuto thought quietly for a moment before he nodded and continued, "Do you want children?"

Naruto was stunned, "W-what? I don't know…"

"Sakura does, do you even know if you can have children, if they would be influenced by what you contain? Would you be willing to risk their lives if you become Hokage?"

Naruto was speechless. He could barely begin to process everything the man was saying and when he finally did he realized he had no idea what so ever.

Gakuto sighed sadly at the look on the boy's face, "I know these questions aren't easy and you probably haven't given them any thought, and I understand because I didn't think about things like this when I was your age. However you should know that being a ninja is a dangerous and uncertain life. It can also be a short life. I want Sakura's life no matter how short to be as happy as possible, and I don't think she could possibly be happy being insulted for being with someone she cares for and not know why. Or worrying that at any moment, not just out on a mission, that someone she loves could be attacked and killed."

Naruto and Gakuto stared into each other's eyes. They were drawn out of their staring match by Mei coming down the stairs carrying a towel and umbrella.

Mei gave a strained smile, "Here you are Uzumaki-san." After she gave him the items she took her first seat and picked up her book and pretended to go back to reading. Naruto held the items for a moment before getting up and leaving the items on the sofa. He quickly made his way to the door but was stopped by Gakuto's voice, "Please Uzumaki-san take the Umbrella at the very least, and please understand I wouldn't have you not be friends with Sakura-chan."

Naruto hesitated for a moment before he walked back and picked up the green umbrella. He once again made his way to the door and stepped out into the rain.

Mei looked at her husband and spoke, "What happened?"

Gakuto sighed sadly, "I had to break an innocent boy's heart."

* * *

Temari couldn't find a decent view into the house or a way to hear what was going on inside. Just as she was about to leave however Naruto made his way outside carrying an umbrella. What was odd was that he wasn't using it. Instead he was walking slowly down the street and making no effort to stay dry. Temari could only catch a glimpse of his face from the side but she swore she could see tears mixing in the rain. Debating as to whether or not to talk to the boy Temari finally came to the decision to leave him alone. He was obviously in no mood to talk and she was feeling extremely guilty for listening to his very private story. Besides she had to get back and rest for the exam in the morning.

* * *

Mitarashi Anko stared out into the pouring rain and growled to herself. The Hokage had informed her she would be shadowed by an ANBU team during the second stage of the exam so she wouldn't face Orochimaru alone. She rubbed the mark on her neck cursing the old man because he knew she wanted to face him alone… even if she died. She was pulled from her dark musings by her friend Yuuhi Kurenai returning from the restroom. The pair had gone to one of the many shinobi bars in Konoha to get a last bit of rest before the exams. Anko liked spending time with Kurenai because the woman didn't care about her past and they were good friends because they were opposites in many respects, but at that moment Anko wanted a larger or livelier crowd to drown out her emotions. Her wish was soon granted as Asuma, Kakashi, and Tenzou walked into _The Sheathed Kunai. _The three men spotted the women and took some seats at their table.

Anko asked, "Where's Uzuki and Gekkou?"

Tenzou responded, "He's gotten a positive check up. Hopefully he will finally be able to fully recover given a few more months, and Uzuki-san wished to make him a private meal to celebrate."

Anko drank some sake from her cup and motioned for more to be brought to the table speaking as she did, "Man, Gekkou must be one hell of a lover to make Uzuki become a domestic."

Kurenai blushed, "Or she could just love him."

Anko scoffed and Kakashi spoke while reading his orange book, "Uzuki doesn't want to do this forever. She graduated at ten and has given twelve years service. She wants to get married, retire from ANBU, have a kid, take a genin team, be a normal jounin for her last eight years of active service, retire for good with full benefits, and then have another kid or two. Not everyone wants to do this into their fifties and on you know. Of course it does help that Uzuki say's that "Gekkou knows how to rock my world.""

Kurenai blushed even deeper while the others laughed. The waiter brought more sake and the newcomers poured some drinks.

After a moment Anko spoke again, "So anything I should do to frighten you three's little students?"

Tenzou chuckled and Asuma laughed. Kurenai spoke, "I think you'll do fine on your own. You always do."

Anko grinned, "Ah you're the best Kurenai-chan." Taking another gulp of sake she continued, "Say how about you and I team up and give Asuma-kun a night to remember, or he could just watch, or we could just be by ourselves."

Kakashi giggled, while Tenzou chuckled. Asuma and Kurenai both became crimson.

Kurenai ground out, "No thank you."

Anko pouted, "Oh well another time maybe… What about you two? You up for a little devil's threesome?"

Tenzou spluttered but Kakashi responded calmly, "I don't cross swords with anyone.

Anko chuckled, "Well what about just you and me? I have some stress to work out."

Kakashi turned a page in his book, "I don't know, last month you told me not to sleep with you if you offered after you had been drinking."

Anko waved her and hand and spoke in a dismissive tone, "You know me though Kakashi, I always say the opposite of what I really mean and want to happen. I'm… what's the word…"

Tenzou spoke in his monotone, "Psychotic?"

The others laughed as Anko flipped off the Shodai clone. Kakashi responded in an amused tone, "Not here… tonight anyway… if we go to your place. That is if I agree. I have to get up early in the morning."

Anko pouted, "I do to."

Kakashi nodded, "True, but this is just the kind of situation that you would use to play a joke on me."

Anko opened her mouth to retort but after a moment she closed it, "You're right… What if I did that thing I do with my tongue to wake you up in the morning?"

Kakashi responded, "You do lots of things with your tongue."

Anko smirked, "The best thing I do with my tongue."

Kakashi was silent and then responded, "Let me have a couple of more drinks."

The other three at the table shook their heads in amusement at the pair's antics. The group settled into a short warm silence as they all drank a little more. After a little while Anko began to fidget.

"Oh hell! Kakashi please can we go? I'm so excited because of the exam!"

The others shook their heads while Kakashi replied slowly teasingly, "Now Anko I just got here. I've not gotten a chance to drink much."

Anko pouted and then brightened, "If we can go right now I'll give you a bottle of my gold label from Cha no Kuni."

Kakashi turned his head and thought for a moment but then pointed his finger behind Tenzou and asked, "Who is that?"

Everyone turned to where he pointed but on seeing no one the turned back to masked man who shrugged, "I could have sworn I saw someone. Anyway let's go Anko."

As the masked man waved to the others and began walking to the door the woman yelled in celebration and jumped clean over the table onto his back. He stumbled but retained his balance as they walked out the door into the rain.

Tenzou shook his head and spoke, "I'll never understand them."

Asuma puffed on his cigarette, "It's just the way they are don't try to."

Tenzou nodded and lifted his cup up to his mouth only to realize his drink was gone, "He stole my drink!"

Asuma and Kurenai laughed until they realized he had stolen their drinks as well.

* * *

Kakashi trudged at a reasonable pace with Anko on his back. He spoke to her jokingly, "You need to lay off the dango."

The woman responded with an emotionless, "Fuck you."

Kakashi was silent for a little longer, "Do you want to talk?"

Anko let out a short bark of laughter, "Don't ruin our good thing Kakashi. Besides I know you don't like to talk."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, "We've known each other for a long time Anko. As a friend I will always have my door open."

Anko sighed, "I want to kill him so badly… I don't care if I die or not… either way I'll be free."

Kakashi nodded, "Anko… Don't be like him. Trust your comrades and the Hokage to help you."

Anko was silent before she placed her forehead on Kakashi's left shoulder, "Kakashi if I died would you cry for me?"

Kakashi responded, "Like you Anko my tears have all been used up, but I would mourn you as sincerely as I mourn everyone I've lost. I would even miss your pranks on me."

Anko smiled, "If you don't spend as much time staring at my name on that damn stone as you do the others I'll haunt you into an early grave."

Kakashi nodded, "Hai."

* * *

Temari was leaning against the wall at the back of the first exam room watching as several groups mingled among themselves. Villages were keeping to themselves and they subdivided into age groups. Except for her team. The others from Suna were afraid of Gaara. Not that she really cared because they were just aquatinted. She knew a few of them and while they weren't bad ninja she didn't think they were chunnin material just yet.

Slowly and surely more people came into room including Ino and her team. The younger girl shot Temari an odd smile that made her think of a she wolf.

Ino walked over and spoke to them, "Hello Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara how are you."

Temari responded politely, "Fine."

Kankuro shot what he though was a charming smile to her, "Great."

Gaara merely stared at the girl.

Ino continued while Choji and Shikamaru joined her waving to the Suna group.

"That's good." Before she could continue the door then opened to reveal Team 8 led by Kiba. They greeted their former classmates and the Suna team politely. The six talked amongst themselves with the Suna team watching and listening in. After a little bit more time passed another team entered. A girl with her hair up in buns, a boy with huge eyebrows and a disturbing green spandex suit, and a male Hyuuga.

The girl with buns chided the green clad boy, "Don't pout Lee, Gai-sensei already forgave you even though he was right about you just wanting to show off."

Lee nodded, "I know that. I am upset because I did act foolishly."

Neji stopped by Hinata and bowed his head slightly with a blank expression on his face, "Hinata-sama."

Hinata smiled, "Hello Neji-niisan. I know you will do well during the exam."

Neji nodded politely but it didn't reach his eyes, and Hinata introduced them to everyone. Gaara and Neji's eyes met momentarily before they broke contact.

The group stood milling about for a few moments in relative silence when the door opened to admit team seven. Sasuke glared at Rock Lee, Sakura followed behind him weary that Sasuke would lose his temper, and Naruto brought up the rear. His face was set in an annoyed manner.

The group rookies and team Gai started to talk amongst themselves. Temari however walked to Naruto who was off by himself, which only Ino and Gaara noticed, and smiled at the boy.

"How was last night?"

Naruto startled out of his silence responded, "Fun…"

Temari could easily tell that he was lying, "That bad…"

Naruto huffed and turned his head away. Temari was shocked by how bad of a mood the boy was in. He had never been anything but friendly to her before. Their attention was turned away from each other by an older boy who had approached the larger group.

"Hello I'm Yakushi Kabuto. I would keep a low profile if I was a rookie like you. Some of the older test takers target first timers. Add in the fact that you are all very young and are already taking the exam some will take it personally."

Shino spoke, "Why offer us this advice?"

Kabuto smiled, "I remember how hard it was during my first attempt and I think how much I would have liked some advice."

Tenten asked, "How many times have you taken the exam?"

Kabuto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Seven but you shouldn't worry I specialize in medical jutsu not combat."

Sasuke responded, "What help can someone who's failed seven times offer us?"

Kabuto smiled and adjusted his glasses before he reached into his side bag, "Glad you asked. I have used all of my failures as learning experiences and gathered information. I have cards that when I infuse my chakra they reveal that information. I have a file on everyone that has competed before. I even have your information though it isn't very thorough because I haven't seen you in action. I only have what the villages have released about those new competitors. So please ask about whoever you want."

The group was silent before Neji spoke, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Kabuto chuckled, "Last year's best wants to know about this year's best."

Sasuke smirked as his information appeared.

Birthday: 7/23

Blood: AB

Ninjutsu: C+

Taijutsu: C+

Genjutsu: D+

INT: C

Force: C

Speed: B

Chakra: C

Seal: B

Sasuke chuckled, "These haven't been updated in six months?"

Kabuto nodded, "Updated once a year."

Sasuke asked, "Hyuuga Neji."

Once again a card flared up.

Hyuuga Neji

Birthday: 7/3

Blood: O

Ninjutsu: C+

Taijutsu: B+

Genjutsu: C

INT: C

Force: C+

Speed: B

Chakra: C

Seal: B

Before anyone else could ask Gaara's even voice broke in, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Everyone was stunned and Temari's heart quickly filled with a terrible dread.

Kabuto frowned, "Suna is our ally but I don't want to betray a fellow Konoha shinobi."

Naruto spoke, "It's okay Gaara sees how good I am go ahead and show him.

Temari wanted to grab the boy and scream at him to leave and save himself but she didn't want to cause a major scene. Her mind went to work on how to save the poor boy.

The card flashed and what she read gave Temari hope that Gaara would lose his interest.

Uzumaki Naruto

Birthday: 10/10

Blood: B

Ninjutsu: C

Taijutsu: D+

Genjutsu: D

INT: D

Force: C

Speed: C

Chakra: A

Seal: D*

*_Individual has not been able to learn basic seals outside of storage seals but has shown a surprising aptitude for high level ones especially explosive tags. Warn all instructors and limit how much materials he is allowed to purchase or posses at once!_

Temari was shocked by how poor Naruto's stats looked, but she was more shocked by charka level which was the same as some jounin and his apparent high level seal knowledge. Everyone's attention was drawn away by a booming voice that came from a trench coat wearing scared man.

"Alright maggots take your seats and shut up we are starting the exam now!"

* * *

**AN: Alright! The exams start next time! Don't worry we won't see the first one and the second will be different from canon. After that we shall see. Anyway I believe that except for a few from the last chapter I responded to most of the reviews and those I haven't I will try to do that ASAP. It will be a little while before the next chapter because I have exams starting Wednesday until the fifth. Please keep me strong with your reviews. Don't be afraid to ask question or offer constructive comments. Thanks ahead of time. ~ AOTS**


	8. Forests and Fights

**AN: Thanks for all your reviews and I hope I answered any questions that came up. On with the story.**

_The crowd politely clapped as the Hokage finished his speech. Sitting in a small section at the top of the still under construction stadium sat a group of Konoha's most elite jounin, including the Sannin. _

_Jiraiya had a huge grin on his face because his student had just won and Tsunade had actually won a bet. Orochimaru watched the scene with an amused expression._

_Hatake Sakumo spoke, "I'm impressed. To defeat so many more experienced ninjas so easily… The kid's got skills and he knows how to use them."_

_Jiraiya laughed, "Why did you think I let Tsunade-hime bet on him?"_

_Tsunade punched Jiraiya with relatively little power causing many to laugh, "Baka! To think that I was about to give you credit for training the gaki!"_

_Orochimaru chuckled in a genuine way that was becoming rarer, "I will admit that Jiraiya did very well training all of his students. It makes me think about taking on a student or two…"_

_Tsunade huffed, "I already have my apprentice picked out for when she graduates. Maybe you should be on the lookout for someone if you are so moved by Jiraiya's example." _

_Orochimaru nodded, "Maybe."_

_The group was pulled from their discussions by a quickly approaching yellow flash that skidded to a stop to reveal the young champion Namikaze Minato, "Jiraiya-sensei, Akina and Anji are waiting to go out and celebrate." _

_Jiraiya stood and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, "I knew you would win Minato I'm very proud. These two are my teammates Tsunade and Orochimaru. The silver headed guy is Hatake Sakumo. You'll meet the others later."_

_Minato walked to the three that he had been introduced to, blushing when he looked at Tsunade, and bowed deeply, "It is an honor to meet you. I hope that I will have a chance to work with you all someday."_

_Tsunade smiled at the boy, "I'm glad to see being around this pervert hasn't hurt your manners any."_

_Minato blushed and rubbed the back of his head._

_Jiraiya spoke, "I don't have a problem with manners, but I'm worried that the boy doesn't take enough interest in the female form."_

_Minato blushed an even darker red while Tsunade smashed Jiraiya in the face._

_-Incident after Namikaze Minato won the seventh Chuunin Exam_

* * *

The whole room sat in stunned silence at Naruto's angry outburst. The boy was currently in a staring contest with the scarred proctor Morino Ibiki. After a few moments Ibiki huffed and took in the rest of the room.

Thinking he cursed, 'Damn this kid. If he had kept his mouth shut we could have had eliminated more teams and given our ANBU better odds in the next round. Oh well, he does have charisma and that can be an important trait for a team leader. He needs more discretion though.'

He barked out, "Okay I can see that you all won't give up so that means that everyone in this room… passes this section of the exam."

Everyone was stunned for a moment before all hell broke loss. Ibiki tolerated the loudness for only a few moments before shouting.

"Shut the fuck up! The point of this section of the exam is to see who has the guts to be a chuunin. As ninja you will come up against long odds and there will be times when what you need most to survive is not personal knowledge or stolen intelligence but the courage to go forward no matter the odds."

Kiba spoke up, "Wait, you knew we were cheating?"

Ibiki smirked, "Well if we knew you were cheating we kicked your ass out. Now we guessed that a few of you actually knew some of this information legitimately, but we also guessed that most of you would either have to cheat from those few that did or from the chuunin we have spread out through the exam with all the answers so we were on the look out for it. If we didn't kick you out you have chuunin level information gathering skills. But as I said that is not the main purpose of this exam."

Reaching to his head he unwrapped his bandana and revealed the horrible scars on his head, "As a ninja, this or worse could happen to you at anytime. The purpose of this test is to see if you can go forward knowing that the odds are against you. Now that I know you all can do that I have no qualms about passing you along to the next section."

At this point Ibiki smiled and it was a kind of smile that made everyone in the room, including Gaara, somewhat nervous. At that point one of the windows shattered and let in a banner and a kunoichi with a long brown trench coat and purple hair. The banner read 'Second Test Proctor: Mitarashi Anko.'

She turned to Ibiki and spoke, "Sorry I'm late. I had a little too much fun last night."

Ibiki smirked, "Actually you're right on time. They're all yours."

Anko faced them with a smirk but it fell when she took in the room, "Why are there so many left?"

Ibiki frowned, "What can I say this group has a few standouts."

Anko scoffed, "Yeah right. You're just getting soft in your old age." she turned to the genin, "Alright you snot nosed little punks you're on notice I will have gotten rid of more than half of you by the end of my test. I want you all to follow me."

* * *

Asuma puffed on his cigarette and polished one of his trench knives in the jounin lounge. He looked up to see Kurenai walk in with a smile on her face.

She took a seat beside him with a smile, "Well Anko just led out the teams that advanced and ours were there."

Asuma smiled, "Good, What about team 7?"

She nodded, "They did as well. Gai-san's team also made it."

Asuma nodded, "No shock there."

At that time the door opened to reveal the previously mentioned Gai and Kakashi. Gai was in a very youthful mood.

"Well it seems our match has not yet been decided, but in the end my students shall go farther than yours in this exam or I will crab walk five hundred times around Konoha in twelve hours!"

Kakashi yawned and said, "We will see Gai."

The black haired man looked at Kakashi, "Why are you so tired?"

Kakashi sat down with Kurenai and Asuma, "Anko and I stayed up until four having sex and we had to get up at six."

Gai yelled, "You should not toy with that delicate young flower's heart and disparage her reputation in such a public place Kakashi!"

Asuma and Kurenai stifled their laughs. Anko enjoyed playing the sweet and innocent young woman around Gai and the green clad man was all too eager to believe her act.

* * *

Anko stood in front of the crowd of genin and gave them a predatory smile, "This, boys and girls, is your next test. You will have seven days to complete it and it will be done here."

Here was a large and sinister forest. It was surrounded by a large fence.

Anko continued, "This training ground is known as the forest of death and if you aren't careful in there you will find out why. This place is filled with vicious anima-"

Naruto cut in, "We get it! It's dangerous just tell us about what we have to do!"

All the genin were stunned as Anko threw a kunai at the blonde's head and reappeared behind him in a flash. Tilting his head up to give access to his freshly cut cheek she spoke before running her tongue along it.

"Hyper gakis like you are usually the first to die." When she was done she continued, "Ah your blood is so sweet and has such a fire to it. So innocent as well."

Naruto was rigid in her grasp and his eyes darted around looking for some help. Anko purred, "You know you'll be pretty handsome in a couple of years if you want I'll pop your cherry when you're old enough."

Naruto was confused, "What cherry? I don't have any cherries."

Anko smiled and turned to look at Sakura and Sasuke, "Is he really this naïve?"

The pair groaned and nodded. Anko smiled, "Good. I like breaking them of all innocence." She then focused on Sakura, "You know you're pretty lucky pinky."

Sakura replied, "What do you mean?"

Anko grinned, "If Kakashi trains them half as well as he trains himself these two cuties are going to be quite the hard bodies. Just think of all the fun you could have with the two of them."

Sakura's eyes glazed over as Inner Sakura actually spoke for her for a moment, "Like what?"

Anko released Naruto from her grasp and got close to Sakura, "Just think the three of you finishing a hard training session. Sasuke with his clothes torn and Naruto without a shirt on breathing hard and the two of them gleaming with sweat. They sit down beneath a tree and you come over and help treat their wounds. Running your hands up and down their chests and arms then they return the favor and do the same for you. Two pairs of hands running up and down your body the two getting closer to you where one is by your back and the other on your front…"

Sakura snapped out of her daze and noticed that her nose had started to bleed. As she wiped the blood away she noticed that Ino had one as well. She turned to look at Sasuke and Naruto and the two were giving her an odd look before Naruto spoke to Sasuke.

"That crazy lady made Sakura-chan into a pervert."

Sasuke looked around at several girls in the crowd and noticed that they were affected in similar ways, "Actually I think more girls are just naturally perverted than they would ever be comfortable admitting."

Naruto replied, "Scary."

Anko chuckled and then continued loudly, "Now as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. You have seven days to get from the perimeter of this forest to the tower in the center. Your teams will be given one scroll. Some are marked heaven while some are marked earth. Your mission is to obtain a scroll of an opposite type and arrive at the tower before the seven days are up with both types of scrolls. Any questions?"

A female nin with long black hair and a music note on her hitate-ate spoke, "Can we kill or do we have to let the forest do it?"

Anko replied with a smirk, "Well, this is just supposed to be a test so it is frowned upon, but if you do kill it is usually overlooked. Mainly cause it is sometimes hard to figure out who killed who now if it can be figured out… well I won't bore you with details but it could come back to bite you in the ass. Honor killings, revenge, and all that jazz."

There were a few more moments of silence before a male from waterfall spoke, "When do we start?"

Anko replied, "As soon as this Q&A is over." Seeing the group starting to break into panic Anko continued, "There are plenty of edible items in the forest. Plenty of fresh water and there are also natural medicinal herbs as well. You are ninja you should always be prepared!"

Everyone quieted down at her outburst and gave her various looks. Anko spoke once more, "If you want to back out you still can."

The various teams began to look at themselves but no words were said between them. Eventually Anko nodded, "I guess you all did deserve to pass Ibiki's test. Alright you will all go to the gate number that corresponds to the number your team was designated with at the start of the exam. There you will be given your scrolls. Good luck to all of you… you're going to need it."

She started to walk away before stopping and speaking once more, "Oh! I forgot to tell you… What ever you do don't open your team's scroll inside the forest."

As the teams began to break up Sakura spoke to Anko in a hushed voice, "What about those of us with parents in the village? Some of them are expecting us home."

Anko smirked at the girl, "You're pretty innocent too pinky. Maybe I could break you and the gaki in together."

Sakura became as pink as her hair and Anko laughed continuing, "I take it your parents aren't ninja?" Sakura nodded and Anko went on, "Well I'll tell a chuunin to send word, but I think Kakashi will inform them."

Sakura nodded and bowed, "Arigatou." She then ran to catch up with the waiting Naruto and Sasuke.

* * *

Dosu, Zaku, and Kin made their way to the designated gate. Each was looking over their shoulder. As they reached the gate a pair of chuunin opened the gate and the team ran through. After about thirty minutes of hard traveling they came to a stop. Each observed their surroundings and once they were secure with their security they formed a small circle and spoke in a hushed tone.

Zaku began, "These Konoha shinobi are jokes. They think a bunch of trees are a proper survival test."

Kin replied, "Don't be stupid! The trees aren't what will try and kill us."

Dosu spoke in a harsh voice cutting the beginning argument, "Shut up! We don't have to worry about these cowards' tests. We just have to worry about our mission. You two did bring your papers right?"

The two nodded and placed two small pieces of paper on the ground leaving a small space between them. Dosu placed another strip with a small seal in the middle in the open space. The seal began to glow and the strips of paper were covered in a flash of chakra. When the flashed died the sheets had fused and there were now written orders on the paper. Dosu lifted the paper and read it quickly. He then lit the sheet on fire and dropped it in the circle. As it turned to ash he spoke.

"We are to track down Uchiha Sasuke and his team. Kill his teammates and then kill him. In that order."

Kin nodded, "I remember their team number. All the gates are in order. We should be able to narrow down an area to search in."

Zaku spoke, "What happens if we can't find them though? I mean we aren't the best team for tracking. Kin is the only one of us who can do any tracking."

Dosu replied, "If we can't get them in the forest we are supposed to make the attempts during the next round, and if we fail… well I don't need to explain how he deals with failure."

Kin and Zaku shuddered before Dosu started to lead them deeper into the forest of death.

* * *

Kakashi knocked on the door of the Haruno residence. It was answered by a surprised looking Mei.

The woman quickly motioned for Kakashi to enter and take a chair. She spoke quickly in a hyper tone, "Hatake-san is everything okay?"

Mei sat down as Kakashi answered, "Yes everything is just fine, I was just coming by to tell you that Sakura and her teammates passed the first test in the exam and they had to proceed immediately to the second test."

Mei face melted into a relieved look. Mei asked, "Well how long will that take?"

Kakashi smiled, "Well there's no real way of knowing but if they pass it will be about seven days."

Shocked the mother asked, "That long?"

Kakashi nodded, "Normally it is usually longer, but we have so many entrants this year… well it was easier to just cut it down."

Mei nodded, "Well… what do you think of her chances?"

Kakashi shrugged, "She has all the intelligence one needs… but I'm not sure if she has the physical tools she will need. She can pass if she gets a few lucky breaks."

Mei went on, "If she didn't have all the skills then why did you nominate her?"

Kakashi replied, "Because she does have the skills to at least make a showing, and I'm sure that if they came up against anything to dangerous her teammates could help her out. I also thought that the experience would help motivate all of them."

Mei was silent for a few moments, "Alright. You are the expert. About… about Uzumaki-san…"

Kakashi gave the woman a searching look, "Yes, what about him?"

"Well… I was wondering why he and Sakura were placed on the same team. She told me he had a bit of a crush on her and I was wondering if that might have been done to… well… placate him?"

Kakashi continued to give the woman a searching stare. Mei shifted uncomfortably just as he started to answer, "Well as I told your husband when I first visited teams are formed in several different ways and for several different purposes. Every few years we form a team made up of the top two and lowest student. Sakura and Sasuke being the top two and Naruto the lowest. We've had success with that formula several times. I would just like to tell you what I told your husband, and that is that though Naruto now knows the truth about the Kyuubi he hasn't let it drag him down nor has he seen fit to mention it to the others…"

Kakashi stopped when he noticed a very familiar look on Mei's face. It was the same look Sakura had on her face when she was angry, but to his surprise instead of yelling Mei merely gave a strained polite smile and spoke in pleasant tone, "Did you say you spoke to my husband about Uzumaki-san?"

Kakashi started to sweat, "Well yes… You showed up late when I came by for the standard civilian parents briefing because you had been at the market and by that point I just gave you the basics because I thought your husband would tell you everything else…"

Mei's smiled wider, "I see… Well I should finish dinner. Can you show yourself out Hatake-san?"

Nervously Kakashi nodded, "Yes. Thank you for your hospitality."

The masked man quickly stood, bowed, and made his way for the door. As he made his way from the door and turned onto the street he nearly bumped into Haruno Gakuto. The man smiled and greeted Kakashi, "Hello Hatake-san, How are you? Is Sakura home?"

Kakashi nervously smiled, "I'm fine. I was just telling you and your wife that Sakura and her team made it to the next test in the exam. Uh… just out of curiosity… did you not tell your wife that Naruto was on Sakura's team?"

The color drained from Gakuto's face, "Uh… well she would have been very upset. She fears that something could happen with the boy and if she found out that he now knows about it… well. I decided not to tell her because I knew she would panic and might try to get Sakura transferred and that would only make Sakura ask questions, and well the law."

Kakashi nodded and rubbed the back of his head smiling nervously, "Well… uh… Sorry to tell you this but she brought Naruto up and well I mentioned that I told you about it…"

Gakuto suddenly looked very ill, "Oh shit… Well then I should probably go. Goodbye Hatake-san."

Kakashi watched as the doomed man slowly trudged toward his doorway. He called to Gakuto sincerely, "I'm sorry."

* * *

The sun had mercifully set and Temari and Kankuro had almost collapsed when Gaara had relented his break neck pace and came to a stop. Even though the boy didn't need sleep he did need to rest his body. Since they had crossed the gate the sand team had gone non stop in a direction that Gaara had begun to travel in. The only rest Temari and Kankuro had gotten is when they had crossed paths with a team from rain and a team from grass. The breaks were short as Gaara dealt with them both quickly. On the plus side they had gained an extra earth scroll and a heaven scroll.

Sinking to the ground Temari removed her shoes and began to rub her feet. Kankuro began to make a small fire and placed three small filed rations onto the ground before he prepared them. He turned to Gaara.

"We have the scrolls and it looks like the tower is about two days away from us. These are the only rations I was lucky enough to have packed. If we leave early enough in the morning we can make good time traveling and still have an hour or two to find food."

Gaara shook his head, "No. We will move closer to the tower, but we will not go in until I find Uzumaki."

Temari's heart dropped in panic, "Gaara, none of us are great at tracking. There is no guarantee we can find them before time runs out."

Gaara gave Temari a hard stare, "We will stay as long as we can. I must see Uzumaki."

Kankuro yelled, "That idiot is probably already dead! Why waste your time with a wimp like him?"

Gaara, still looking at Temari, spoke, "When we first met there was something about him. He bothered me and mother and not for the normal reasons people bother us. It felt like something in his soul. Then I saw you come back with him the first night here. I saw the look in his eyes when he was talking about me. I saw that he wore a mask. A mask more perfect than then male Hyuuga we met today and even more perfect than the Uchiha. I wish to know what his mask hides."

Temari was stunned into silence by this revelation. After it became clear that Gaara was not going to speak any further Kankuro went back to work while Temari retreated into her thoughts which were filled with concern for the blue eyed boy that she had without realizing it begun to genuinely like.

* * *

Sakura reached her hands into the river and splashed water into her eyes. Sasuke was scanning the tree line while Naruto slowly and sleepily zipped up his orange jacket. They had been in the forest for four days but hadn't gotten the second scroll they needed. They had run into a team from waterfall but they had the same scroll though fighting the team had given them a bit of a work out. The team was a tracking squad with very little direct combat skills. Sakura easily detected and broke her team out of a fairly powerful genjutsu for a genin. Sasuke then quickly tracked the team down with his Sharingan and dealt with two of them in short order while Naruto followed and took the scroll from the remaining member. Sadly it was another earth scroll. That had been late in the second day. Now with three days left team seven had decided they had to begin their journey to the tower and hope to find another scroll on the way there, and failing that to take one from one of the teams that would be attempting to enter the tower.

Sakura noticed Sasuke frowning walked to him and spoke in a hushed tone, "What's wrong Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke continued to scan the trees but he had turned off his Sharingan to save chakra, "Something is wrong. It feels like we're being watched but the trees are so thick and filled with life that my eyes can't make them out. If only they were fully mature and I had the last tomoe…"

Sakura smiled, "Don't worry Sasuke they will be soon, and we will handle it if any thing comes up."

Sasuke gave the girl a look and nodded, "Right…" Sakura's smile widened. The two turned to see Naruto quickly avert his eyes from looking at them. He tried to pretend that he was watching the trees. Sakura frowned. The boy had unusually quite. Oh he still chattered while they traveled but when they had time to sit and rest he became withdrawn and sullen. Something was very obviously bothering him.

Sasuke notice this as well and actually asked about it, "What's wrong dobe?"

Naruto glared at the boy, "Nothing I'm just ready to get going."

Sasuke replied, "No. You've been acting weird since the first day of the exam."

Naruto huffed again, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment and Sakura was afraid that a fight could break out. Finally Sasuke spoke, "Fine. Just don't let it get in the way."

Naruto growled and began to jump through the trees to the tower. Cursing, Sasuke and a worried Sakura began a race to catch up.

* * *

The Hokage walked into the camera room to see Anko frantically searching the screens for any sign of her former sensei.

His voice surprised the kunoichi, "Anything interesting?"

Anko jumped in surprise and threw a kunai at the visitor which the old man easily dodged. Anko sheepishly chuckled, "Sorry Hokage-sama you surprised me."

The old man laughed lightly, "It's alright. It's good to know I still have some stealth, but I imagine most of it has to do with you watching the exam."

Anko reported, "There have been a few things of note. A team from Taki opened their scroll. Toma took care of them. A team from Suna got their asses handed to them by a Rain team. Gai's team looks very good and seem to be looking for matches on their way here. Kurenai's team got the two scrolls they need to advance and are making their way to the tower. Asuma's team got the second scroll using some very cunning tactics, but they are taking their sweet time getting to the tower. Kakashi's team handled an older and more experienced team but I'm not sure that their opponents were that talented. Also that son of the Kazekage's… Gaara… the boy can kill. I don't know if any of the other kids can stop him or if we should even let them try."

The Hokage nodded sadly, "It is a shame what has happened to the boy… I do think that there are a few that could beat the boy given the right chances…"

Anko gave the old man an odd look, "You're planning something aren't you?"

The old man laughed, "I'm always planning something Anko-chan. But in this case I just know the skills of those involved and I know that there are ways to beat the boy. I just hope that no more die during the exam. If only someone could reason with that boy… Anyway what about the Oto team?"

Anko responded, "An ANBU team has been trailing them and they seem to be searching for Kakashi's team but for what purpose we don't know. The team didn't want to get to close so they didn't get a chance to hear their purpose."

The Hokage nodded, "Tell them not to interfere with a conflict should it arise… at least not directly."

Anko responded, "This team could just be masquerading as genin and could be chuunin."

The Hokage replied, "That is possible but I have faith in Kakashi and his team."

* * *

Naruto landed in a clearing with Sasuke and Sakura landing shortly after. Sasuke was sweating a fair amount while Sakura was drenched and breathing hard. Naruto had just begun to break a sweat.

Sakura yelled, "What the hell! We've been running almost non-stop for two and a half hours. Not all of us have that much conditioning!"

Naruto yelled, "Then you should train harder!"

Sakura reacted as if she had been slapped with the shock of Naruto yelling at her. Sasuke spoke up, "That may be true but you set a brutal pace. It was fairly hard for me to keep up. We still have to find another scroll and we shouldn't use all of our energy traveling when we can't even get into the tower at this point."

Naruto huffed, "I'm going to the river and get something to drink."

The blonde boy made his off into the distance leaving Sakura and Sasuke staring after him. The raven haired boy turned to Sakura, "Do you know what's going on with him?"

Sakura kept staring where Naruto had retreated to and shook her head, "He seemed alright the night before the exam started."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose, "The _night _before?"

Sakura blushed and began, "Well you see we wer-"

She stopped at the sound of a branch snapping. The two turned to see a boy with spiky black hair and a sound note on his head band. The boy turned and quickly bolted away from them.

Sasuke spoke, "I'm going to stop him wait for Naruto and follow after."

In the trees Kin and Dosu watched as Sasuke made his way after Zaku. Dosu spoke, "Zaku has already prepared a path that will lead Uchiha away from us. He'll turn toward the river after the Uchiha passes by. He'll probably find me first since the loudmouth and I will be at or near the river. Take care of the girl but be mindful and if you feel anyone approaching leave her alone dead or not and find us. We'll finish her off later."

Kin smiled as Dosu made his way toward Naruto. She jumped down behind Sakura and smiled wider when the girl slowly spun to meet her.

Sakura went into a defensive stance, "Who're you?"

Kin laughed "Don't worry about that. You won't be alive much longer."

With that Kin charged at Sakura and threw a punch at Sakura's face which the pink hair girl quickly blocked, but Kin brought up her leg around in a sweep which took Sakura by surprise and caused the girl to fall onto her back. Kin then raised her leg and tried to heel drop Sakura in the face but Sakura rolled out of the way. Sakura then jumped up and threw some shuriken at Kin. The girl ducked and threw a kunai at Sakura. Sakura dodged with little room to spare as the kunai tore through some of her shirt and embedded into the tree behind her. Sakura drew a kunai of her own and assumed a stance to meet an attack from Kin, but the attack didn't come. Instead Kin smirked and Sakura's eyes widened as she heard a burning hiss. Sakura jumped away and cleared some distance from the exploding kunai but the explosion still had enough force to make fall flat on her face, and it was close enough to cause some of the debris to cut and scrape her.

Kin walked over to Sakura's prone form and smirked.

* * *

Sasuke continued to follow the trail that the boy had left behind. He had been going at an even faster pace than what Naruto had set but he hadn't been able to catch up with the boy. Legs burning Sasuke stopped and activated his Sharingan. He did this not to try and see his prey but to examine the trail. He was able to see far down the trail and he knew that there was no way the boy had been able to get that far away from him. Cursing he skidded to a halt and turned to make his way back toward Sakura and Naruto but his run earlier and pursuit had left him tired.

* * *

Sakura groaned and slowly opened her eyes to see a pair of black boots beside her. Suddenly she was yanked up by her hair and fist slammed into her jaw. The black haired girl spoke, "You're a pathetic excuse for a kunoichi. You have no real skills to speak of and you rely far too much on your teammates. What's worse is that you have nothing to offer them."

Another fist hammered into her head which caused Sakura to cry out. Laughing Kin then kicked the girl in her back and then unleashed a combo with her legs and the hand that wasn't gripping the girl's hair.

"Girls like you make me sick. You worry about your looks above your skills. All you do is latch on to the strongest man who will have you. Just look at your hair, so soft, clean, and perfectly trimmed. I bet you spent more time on your hair than you have training just to get that good looking Uchiha to notice you."

Sakura tired felt tears pouring down her face because of the pain and the taunts the girl shouted at her.

"I can tell though that he doesn't care about you. He finds you a burden. Only that blonde fool likes you and even he is pissed at your weakness. I bet as we speak he's cursing you as Dosu and Zaku slip kunais into his heart and lungs thinking why you aren't able to help him."

Sakura's eyes snapped open with fear as Kin continued, "Don't worry though you'll be able to apologize in the afterlife. To both of them because once we're done with the two of you we'll send the Uchiha along shortly."

Kin yanked Sakura's hair so that they were face to face and raised a kunai. Sakura thought to herself, 'It can't end like this… if only I'd have been stronger, trained harder… I'm pathetic. Sasuke Naruto I'm sorry I have only been a burden.'

As Sakura waited for the blow to come she realized she still had a hold of her kunai, but she couldn't move to make an effective attack while Kin held her hair. Thinking quickly she knew what she had to do.

She spit in Kin's face and this caused the girl to tighten her grip on her hair but she shifted the tip of the kunai away from Sakura to quickly and carefully wipe her eye. When she did this Sakura used the chance to quickly and in one motion with her right hand holding the kunai to cut her hair and then thrust the point at Kin. The black haired girl was shocked by the quick motion and even though she was able to jump back she was still pierced a little in the side.

"You bitch!" Kin cursed and threw her Kunai at Sakura. The pink haired girl was able to dive out the way but the she was cut slightly in the right shoulder. Kin pulled three senbon from a pouch and held them between her fingers. Kin prepared to throw them but stopped when she felt seven chakra signatures close by four of which that were closing in on her fast while the other three were taking a slower pace. She released the senbon at the girl two of which landed into her leg. Kin then threw a smoke bomb and retreated yelling, "I'll be back for you soon pinky, I'll bring you the blonde's head to say goodbye to."

Sakura grimaced as she pulled the needles from her leg. Slowly sitting down she ripped her skirt to make some bandages. Quickly she wrapped some on her leg and then some around her shoulder. At that point she began to try and orient her self but her ears were still ringing from the explosion so she was having a problem figuring out which way to Naruto or Sasuke. Her attempts were cut short as three figures jumped down in front of her. It was the sand sibling trio.

Gaara stepped forward and asked in his emotionless voice, "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"

* * *

Naruto sat at the edge of the river watching as some fish swam and jumped down stream. He wasn't really paying attention though. He was brooding… which he hadn't done in a long. Oh he had pouted fairly often but he thought he had finally put these kinds of oppressive moods behind himself. Sighing he wished that Sakura's father hadn't given him so many things to think about. He had asked him things that Naruto had no clue about. Things that Naruto pushed from his mind, things like a family. Aside from an occasional dream or the rarer and rarer daydream about finding some relative he gave that subject no thought, and he had never really thought about starting his own family. Sure he wanted Sakura to love him the way he loved her but all his other hopes were concerned with becoming Hokage. He had not put any thought to what else his life could or should hold. Sighing deeply he shifted so that he was kneeling over the water. Reaching his hands into the water he began to throw some on his face. Steeling his focus Naruto decided to continue on and worry about his new problems later. Though at that moment he wanted something to challenge him and let him focus on his longstanding goals. Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately he was soon to have that wish granted. As he wiped his wet hands on his pants Naruto noticed that the numerous fish that had been swimming around this area of the river had all but vanished by quickly swimming away. Naruto suddenly felt very on edge, and with good reason. He was just able to dodge the hammer blow that fell.

Naruto landed to see a genin with a heavily wrapped faced and a sound note on his head band. Where Naruto had been standing an explosive wave expanded quickly and caused massive damage to the ground and disruption to the water. The sound ninja turned to Naruto chuckling.

"I'm surprised you dodged that. You were oblivious to the world."

Naruto yelled, "Who the hell are you?"

Dosu chuckled, "It's not important. You won't be able to do anything with it."

With that Dosu lunged forward and once again Naruto dodged to see a blast emanate from where Dosu's fist made impact. It splintered the tree that Naruto had been in front of. Naruto formed his hand sign and called out.

'**Kage Bushin no Jutsu!'**

Dosu turned to see ten identical Naruto's pulling out an assortment of kunai, shuriken, and one fumma shuriken. The older boy laughed, "You think clones scare me?"

Three of the Naruto's charged at Dosu who charged back at them. The two on his sides threw shuriken at him that he paid no mind to until they cut past and into his arms. When he realized that both of the clones had substance he dodged the one in the center lunging forward with a kunai trying to stab him. Dosu grabbed his outstretched arms and began to spin him around hitting the two that had thrown shuriken at him. When the clones popped into nonexistence he stumbled at the sudden loss of weight in his arms. Six more Narutos charged at Dosu. The man held up his gauntlet covered arms and released a powerful blast that slammed into the first two Narutos and caused them to fly into the back four. As the smoke cleared Dosu stared at the sole remaining Naruto who had the large shuriken. Dosu charged at the blond boy.

Naruto reared back and threw the star and yelled, "Block this!"

Beneath his wrappings Dosu smirked as he ducked the star and from the crouch he leapt at his opponent as the shuriken passed over his head. Naruto stumbled back in surprise as Dosu's fist his him and a wave of sound washed over him. However it was Dosu's turn to be surprised when Naruto popped out of existence. Quickly he turned when he heard another pop and saw that where the large shuriken should have been there was another Naruto who had already released two kunai that embedded themselves into Dosu's shoulders before he could blast them off course. Naruto charged and dodged as Dosu quickly pulled the kunai from his shoulders and tossed them at him. When he released the second kunai he was exposed to a hard jab from Naruto's left fist. Dosu was thrown back an impressive amount considering the size difference. As Dosu skidded to a halt Naruto jumped at him with a drawn kunai preparing to stab one of Dosu's gauntlets.

'**Zankuuha'**

A massive cyclone slammed into Naruto and sent him skidding along the ground. Dosu stood slowly and turned to see Zaku approaching him.

The blacked haired boy chuckled, "To think our fearless leader would be pushed around by some loudmouth weakling."

Dosu growled, "Shut the fuck up! I didn't think anyone on this team had any kind of skill other than the Uchiha, but this asshole has a high level jutsu."

The two's attention turned toward Naruto who had stood back up and created thirteen clones.

Zaku laughed, "Clones? Is this the attack you were referring to?"

Dosu spoke quietly, "These clones are more than a distraction. They act like elemental clones but they don't have one and the tools they use are real."

Zaku smiled wickedly and raised both of his arms, "Then I'll just take them out quickly."

'**Zankuuha'**

All of the Narutos were thrown across the river and all the clones popped out of existence. Zaku and Dosu laughed as Naruto struggled to stand up, and they quickly charged to him. Dosu reared back and landed a powerful blow into Naruto's jaw which sent the boy straight down into the ground.

Zaku turned to Dosu, "Why didn't you use your gauntlet?"

Dosu replied, "I want this asshole to suffer. Besides we can show him off to the Uchiha after we get done and get him to suffer before we finish him off."

Naruto lifted his head, "Why do you want to hurt Sasuke?"

Dosu kicked the boy which caused him slide back into a tree, "Don't worry about that. You won't be around much longer."

The two boys began to make there way over to Naruto's new position. When they reached him they began to punch and kick the boy without mercy. After a couple of minutes of this Dosu lifted the boy with one hand and reared back as he did so Naruto dropped a ball wrapped with seals which promptly exploded and unleashed a flash of blinding light. Naruto then kicked Dosu in the gut which caused him to drop him. Naruto dashed past the boys but he was limping somewhat and Naruto thought that his right leg might have been broken to a small extent. As he was about to escape into the woods a foot came crashing into his face. Through the blood running down his face Naruto saw a girl with black hair and some blood on her clothes. Dosu and Zaku had recovered and charged to meet the other two. Dosu slammed Naruto's face into the ground. Zaku kicked him in the ribs and spoke to Kin.

"What happened to you? The girl give you that much trouble?"

Kin growled and was about to respond when she stopped. She had a plan to boost her mood a little before moving on. She spoke in a light teasing tone.

"What can I say when people face death they fight harder than they ever have before."

She then kneeled down and looked Naruto in the face, "She fought very hard you know hurt my shoulder bad, but in the end she was just a baby about it."

Naruto's eyes began to water and Kin pressed on, "When I had her beat she begged me to just let her go. Then she called out for Sasuke, and at the very in she even called out for you."

Naruto's eyes were filled with a mix of blood and tears, "You're lying! She's not dead I know it!"

Kin's eye brows shot up, "I'm lying am I? Here look at this… I would have brought her head but frankly that would have been hard to identify."

Reaching into her pouch she pulled out a handful of fairly long pink hairs and held them in front of Naruto's face. As Sakura's familiar fragrance filled his nose Kin laughed speaking, "Look familiar? Don't worry you can apologize for your failure to protect her in the next world."

Dosu prepared to drop his gauntlet with full power but froze when Naruto made a terrifying sound. It was almost an entirely inhuman sound filled with nothing but hate and rage.

"**!"**

The three sound ninja were all tossed away by an explosion of red tinted orange chakra.

* * *

Sakura stepped back from Gaara. The boy waited a moment before asking once more with a bit more inflection, "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"

Sakura stuttered, "I d- don't know. We've all been separated. What do you want with Naruto?"

This statement was directed at Temari as well and the older frowned at the tone the girl used. Gaara replied, "I wish to examine him."

Sakura yelled, "Well I don't know and I don't have to sit around and talk to you. I have to find them."

Sakura turned to leave when she was held in place by something around her ankle. She turned to see a stream of sand holding her ankle. It was extending from Gaara's gourd.

The boy spoke, "You'll wait here. He will look for you."

Sakura fell as she tried to face him, "Naruto's in danger. They are going to gang up and kill him."

Gaara replied coldly, "Then so be it."

Sakura yelled, "How can you examine him if he's dead."

Gaara responded, "If he dies it won't be worth it to have tried."

Sakura turned to Temari, "Why won't you help him? You _were_ just using him for information weren't you! After as kind as Naruto was to you you're willing to just let him die out here all alone!" You're worse than your brother is!"

Temari snapped, "Shut the hell up! You don't understand anything about what is going on!"

Sakura was about respond when a voice rang out.

'**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu'**

Temari and Kankuro quickly jumped back as a massive fireball hit where the sand team had stood. They saw Sasuke jump down with a kunai and crash through the sand that held Sakura with the blade. He quickly grabbed the girl and moved her further away before setting her down. He turned with his sharingan to see the smoke clear and reveal a wall of sand fall away to reveal an unscathed Gaara.

"Welcome Uchiha Sasuke… perhaps you can entertain me while we wait for Uzumaki."

Sasuke spoke, "What happened Sakura? Did they do this to you?"

Sakura shook her head, "No. It was a girl with a sound hitai-ate. We were in the middle of a fight but she left when she felt all of the different chakras closing in. Then they show up and the red head demands to know where Naruto is."

Sasuke stared at Gaara for a few moments before he started to assume a fighting stance but Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, "We don't have time for this. That girl told me her teammates were going to team up on Naruto. They want to kill us! We have to find them!"

Sasuke asked in a hushed tone, "Which way did she go?"

Sakura replied in a whisper, "Toward the river. Where Naruto was heading earlier."

Sasuke glanced in the direction and saw the path the sound kunoichi had taken to the river. He spoke once again to Sakura in a hushed tone, "Hide your eyes and be ready to follow me as fast as you can when you hear the bang."

Sasuke formed his seal and again shouted. **'Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu'**

Gaara's sand once again formed a wall which Temari and Kankuro both got behind. When the flames and smoke began to disperse the wall fell away to reveal the retreating figures of Sasuke and Sakura. Gaara bolted after them with Temari and Kankuro stumbling to chase after him. As the three got close to the path Sakura and Sasuke took they heard a hiss and explosion. There was a blinding flash of light which caused the sand siblings to come to a halt. When this distraction faded away Gaara stood still for a moment before speaking.

"I can't move."

Kankuro replied in surprise, "I can't either!"

Temari shook her head, "Me too."

Gaara spoke, "Is this a genjutsu?"

Temari shook her head, "If it is it is of a high level. It is affecting our movements with out presenting some kind of obstacle to one of our senses."

Kankuro spoke, "Could the Uchiha have done this?"

Temari replied, "I don't know. Supposedly some of the Uchiha were able to use their sharingans to create some powerful genjutsu but there is no way he could have that much power at this point."

* * *

Ino's eyes popped open to see Choji's worried face staring at her. He spoke in a whisper, "What's going on?"

Ino replied softly, "Sasuke-kun and Sakura are going full speed now that they don't think the sand team is following them, but Sasuke-kun is still taking care that they don't leave a trail." She turned her head to a sweating Shikamaru, "You can probably let them go now."

The boy replied, "So troublesome… I'll hold them just a little longer. Gaara's going to break out soon anyway."

Choji replied, "Why don't you let go of the other two? They didn't seem like they wanted to fight."

Shikamaru thought for a moment, "You're right… I hope I don't regret this."

Temari and Kankuro suddenly stumbled a bit. The puppet master spoke, "I can move!"

Gaara responded, "I'm still frozen… find out what is going on."

Temari and Kankuro nodded. The girl suddenly sniffed something on the wind that smelled a lot like perfume. Kankuro broke off from her to search on his own but Temari felt he was going in the wrong direction. She kept following the light smell until she came upon a small clearing that held the new InoShikaCho trio. They didn't notice her at first before Ino let out a small gasp. Shikamaru turned his eyes to stare into Temari's. The two were silent for a moment trying to see what the other had in mind. Temari could see how tired the lazy boy was she could also see the distrust in his eyes and it rankled her deeply.

Kankuro called out, "Oi! Temari do you see anything?"

She looked at the group staring back at her before she turned her head to her brother and responded, "No. Nothing. I think we are in completely the wrong place. We should get back to Gaara."

As the girl turned to leave Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji all exhaled a slow breath.

Shikamaru question out loud, "Troublesome woman… what is her game?"

* * *

Kin raised her head slowly after slamming into a tree to see what appeared to be a fire clad Uzumaki Naruto. However where his eyes had been a dark deep blue they were now replaced by an almost blood red and his pupils had became slits. His unique whisker marks had grown so they appeared much larger and his hands had been replaced by wicked claws. Also the numerous cuts, scrapes, and bruises that had marred the boy's features had all disappeared, and in his mouth his teeth had grown into something resembling fangs. Slowly the transformed boy looked around until his red eyes met Kin's and he snarled.

"**You! I'm going to rip you into pieces!**"

In a flash Naruto had shifted to a low running style almost as if it were all four of his limbs. Before Kin could react the boy had closed the distance between himself and her. With a clawed hand he slashed into Kin's already torn shoulder. She was thrown back hard into the tree to see Naruto preparing for another assault. As he was about to leap forward once more Dosu appeared beside Naruto and prepared to strike with his gauntlet. Just as it was about to connect Naruto spun and grabbed it. The force of his grip broke the gauntlet and sent the metal shards into Dosu's hand causing the boy to scream in pain. Naruto then flipped the older boy onto his back and raised his sharp claw to strike him in the face, but Zaku appeared behind him and extended both of his arms and shouted.

'**Zankyokukuha'**

The air flowed through the vents and ripped through the back of Naruto's shoulders and exploding through the front. The two holes spurted blood with the air which caused a fine mist to spread out from Naruto. The boy flew forward and was about to land on his head when he suddenly twisted in mid air to land on his feet. Naruto smiled daggers at Zaku and launched himself at him before the black haired boy could react. Naruto plunged one of his claws through the boys gut. Zaku coughed up blood as Naruto removed his arm. He then gripped Zaku's arms and placed a foot on his shoulder and pulled his arms. Zaku began to scream in pain as he felt muscles and tendons pop and snap, but the worst pain was when Naruto had finally stretched them so far that his arms extended past the pipes he had in his arms so they no longer reached his the holes he had in his hands at that point Naruto crushed the pipes shut and kicked the boy in the chest sending him skidding away in pain and blood. Dosu had stood back up and was swinging his good hand. Naruto turned and caught it and broke it the same way he had broken the other one.

Naruto smiled sadistically, "You're to much of a pain. I'll cut you down at the root until I deal with that bitch on your team."

Naruto kicked Dosu's right knee as hard as he causing it break instantly. He then slung him to the ground and stabbed his left knee with his claws leaving the upper and lower halves held together by a small amount of sinew."

Dosu howled in pain causing Naruto to laugh, "I'll show you true suffering before this is all over."

Naruto turned to where Kin had landed. She had been frozen in horror for a time but as she saw Dosu fall she had attempted to flee but Naruto was quickly on her. He grabbed her by her hair and yanked as hard as he could. This yanked several strands of hair from her head with the roots still attached. As Kin fell she let out a cry and Naruto stabbed the tips of his razor sharp claws into her chest and into her shoulder wound. Naruto continued to pull them in and out stabbing and raking them across various parts of her body. Dosu and Zaku were watching as best they could but blood loss had left them in cases of near shock.

Naruto moved his face close to Kin's and spoke in a dark mocking tone, "You'll be apologizing to Sakura-chan before I will. Hopefully she'll see what I did to you and forgive me ahead of that."

Kin gasped out, "Please sto-"

Naruto growled, "**Stop! You want me to stop? Did you stop for her when she asked?**"

Naruto grabbed her throat and began to squeeze with one hand while with the other he used the pointer finger claw to slash into Kin's bulging left eye. The girl tried to scream but coughed as she did. Naruto released her throat.

Kin quickly spoke, "I lied! She's still alive!"

Naruto punched her in the mouth while yelling at the top of his lungs and continued to do so. Finally in a fit of supreme rage he bit her uninjured shoulder and ripped the flesh there clean off the bone. As he did this blood sprayed all over his chest and legs. After this he let lose a blood chilling roar. Finally he looked into Kin's fear filled eye and raised his claw in preparation to finish her off.

The girl whispered, "Don't do this… Please I don't want to die…"

Naruto's eyes flickered back to blue before he closed them and reopened them to show red, "I wish I could forgive you but I hate you more than I pity you."

Kin closed her good eye as Naruto prepared to finish her off. Just as the blow was about to fall a voice split the air.

"Naruto!"

* * *

Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and Kakashi sat in the center tower in the forest of death. As instructors of the teams competing in the Chuunin Exam they had to spend large amounts of time waiting to get word on their teams. Kurenai was pleased to learn that her team was a day away, but her joy was far outpaced by that of Gai whose team had arrived shortly before he had that day. He had been in a great mood while waiting. The four were drawn from their conversations by Anko bursting into the room with a grim look on her face.

She spoke to them, "The Hokage wants you all now."

They arrived to see the Hokage looking somewhat grim. Taking a puff from his pipe he spoke, "The team from Orochimaru's village has made their move."

Asuma spoke, "What happened?"

The Hokage replied, "They tracked down and attacked Kakashi's team."

Kakashi quickly placed his book in his vest and asked, "What happened?"

"They struck while they were divided. Sasuke was led away while Sakura was attacked and Naruto was double teamed. The Kazekage's children showed up and drove Sakura's attacker away."

Kakashi asked in a tone that held a hint of dread, "Naruto?"

The Hokage puffed a little more of his pipe, "He fought two of them well enough on his own but then the third joined in as well… They taunted him and well… Naruto drew on the Kyuubi's power."

The group of jounin's eyes all rose in surprise. Kurenai asked, "How bad is it?"

The Hokage replied, "The ANBU team we have on the scene indicates that it is similar to the reported outburst that took place on the mission to Wave. We have someone that has the skills to stop him if he continues to go on a rampage. Hopefully he will get control of himself before it's too late to get information from that group."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Kakashi spoke in a serious tone that none of those present aside from the Hokage had hear in a long time, "We need to have Naruto's seal examined. He may have been greatly angered for this outburst to happen, but he has been very angry before and nothing happened on those occasions until the incident in Wave and now this. I would hate to lose him because we neglected to take care of something as vital as his seal. If something were to happen on my watch how would I explain it to…"

The other jounin in the room were curious at Kakashi's sudden outburst and halt but their attention was drawn away by the Hokage's calm voice, "I understand Kakashi-kun… I'm afraid that our skilled seal users have dwindled over the years. Mostly do to our loss of our allies from Uzu no Kuni, but I have contacted Jiraiya and while he's here I will have him look at the seal."

Kakashi's eyes rose, "Jiraiya-sama is returning?"

The Hokage frowned slightly with a slight blush on his face, "Well he should be. He was going to be here soon anyway what with his new edition being due at his publishers, but I passed on what the Kazekage told us through an emergency means of communication Jiraiya left me. I haven't felt the need to use it before now so I don't know when he will receive it, but I imagine he will be here soon."

Kakashi nodded and spoke, "Well if it turns out that we can't get information from this Oto team we at least know they were after my team which indicates that Sasuke and his sharingan are of vast interest to Orochimaru, which is also further confirmation of what the Kazekage was told."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura finally reached full speed as soon as Sasuke could no longer see any of the Suna team's chakra signature. After running at full speed for about fifteen minutes he no longer bothered to attempt to mask their trail. Sakura was winded and hurt but she pushed on. After they had run about ten more minutes they felt a huge rumble and saw a red orange light up the distance.

Sasuke turned to Sakura and yelled, "That's the area where this trail appears to lead!"

The two sped up and continued to run even though Sakura was about to collapse. As they neared the area where the powerful chakra was coming from they began to close in on a more specific location. Finally they reached a clearing where they heard a voice that sounded a lot like Naruto let out a pained yell. Before Sasuke could stop her Sakura tired, worried, and hurt cried out for their missing teammates.

"Naruto!"

Cursing as they broke through undergrowth Sasuke skidded to a stop with Sakura doing the same when they caught sight of what was taking place in the wrecked clearing. There was Naruto drenched from head to toe in blood crouching over the mangled and crying Kin. When he turned his head to see the source of his name the two gasped at the sight of his eyes, cheeks, teeth, and claws, but as Naruto's eyes caught the sight of Sakura slowly the monstrous changes began to melt away into Naruto's normal features. Kin let out a sob of relief when the boy jumped off of her chest, dashed to his teammates, and threw his arms around the terrified Sakura weeping with horror at what he had done, was about to do, and in pure joy that Sakura yet lived in the same world as him.

"S-s-s-sakura-chan… She said she killed you an-and showed me your h-hair! I was so angry! I wanted to make them feel the way she said you felt! I'm so glad you're alive! I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you!"

The boy continued to squeeze Sakura and babble while the frightened girl was awkwardly patting his back and trying to loosen his grip on her. Sasuke watched for a moment but finally pulled his attention away from his teammates to the Oto team on the ground. Kin's eyes had glazed over and she was babbling worse than Naruto. Zaku was struggling to right himself but was having trouble doing so with both of his arms crushed. Dosu was a pale white from blood loss but he was chuckling as Sasuke walked to and stood over him.

"_He's _crying… _He's _crying… I guess monsters do have tears. Ha ha ha."

Sasuke frowned at the one legged boy, "Where's your scroll?"

Dosu slowly reached into a pouched with his pierced and mangled hands and pulled out a heaven scroll, tossed it to Sasuke and spoke, "Take it and get that demon away from us."

The Uchiha stared at him a little longer before turning to his teammates and speaking, "We need to make our way to the tower."

Team seven quickly ran from the area as soon as Naruto pulled back from his embracing of Sakura. When they were well away Dosu tried to shift and sit up but stopped when five masked ANBU members appeared before him. An eagle masked man stepped forward and spoke, "We have some questions for you."

* * *

Finally the sun had set and team seven had settled in for the night. They didn't have much in terms of food and every member was dead tired. Naruto laid down by the fire and stared into the flames. Since he had let go of Sakura earlier in the day he had been completely silent. Sasuke stood and stared out into the dark forest.

"I'll take the first watch. Naruto you next then Sakura."

The raven haired boy retreated to the tree tops. Sakura curled her legs close and watched Naruto stare into the fire.

Naruto's voice cracked, "Sakura-chan?"

The girl was startled by his voice and Naruto saw a flash of fear in her eyes. Naruto flinched but continued as if nothing had happened, "I'm sorry I got you dirty earlier. I was just glad you were okay."

The girl nodded, "It's okay… We should try to get some sleep."

Naruto nodded, yawned, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Elsewhere in the dark forest near the tower on a tree branch sat Yakushi Kabuto glancing at the stars. He was drawn away from his stargazing by a small green snake with a message tube on his back appearing at his foot. The snake spoke in a low whisper.

"I have your new orders from Orochimaru-sama. I'm also to take your new report back to him."

Kabuto drew a rolled up scroll from his pocket and replaced it in the tube that the snake had on. He replied in his smooth tone, "Please give my compliments to Orochimaru-sama."

As the snake popped out of existence Kabuto unrolled his orders and began to read them. After a while his eye brows rose and he smiled to himself then spoke, "It seems Orochimaru-sama desires my role here to change."

* * *

There had been virtually no talking all of the next day between team seven. They had all gotten up more sore than they had when they went to bed. Now late in the afternoon of the fifth day they had finally made it to the large tower. Finding the door they entered and walked into the room that bore a poem. After a few moments of study Naruto asked, "What do we do now?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Sakura spoke, "I think we have to open the scrolls."

Naruto replied, "You heard what that crazy lady said! We can't open the scrolls."

Sakura shook her head, "Anko-sensei said not to open them in the forest."

Sasuke and Naruto gave the girl strange looks. Sakura looked back and forth between them and asked, "What?"

Surprisingly Sasuke spoke first, "You just called Mitarashi-san 'sensei.'" Naruto nodded in agreement.

Sakura blushed, "Well… I stand by my idea."

Sasuke nodded, "Alright lets do it then."

He and Naruto each took a scroll and broke the seal and then tossed the scrolls toward the wall. After a moment there was a puff of smoke and standing over the two scrolls was Umino Iruka. He was about to speak when he noticed who he was talking to. He was stunned for a moment before reacting in a panic.

"What happened? Are you alright? Naruto what happened?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "It's a long story Iruka-sensei."

Iruka replied, "How bad are you hurt?"

Naruto shook his head and didn't make eye contact, "I'm fine… this isn't my blood." Seeing that Iruka was about to continue Naruto cut him off, "But Sakura-chan was hurt she should see a medic."

Iruka nodded, "Alright. Follow me."

Iruka led team seven into the facilities of the tower. When they reached a large lounge area they caught sight of teams eight and ten, Gai's team, as well as the older genin Kabuto and his team. They were all shocked when they saw the state Naruto was in and his classmates as well as Gai's team all rushed to him. Iruka led Sakura away speaking in a calm voice, "We'll get you back to your friends soon. Kakashi-san will be here to see you soon as well."

Ino spoke loudly, "Man Naruto! What happened to you?"

Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head, "It's a really long story."

Kiba scoffed, "Well I think we could all get that!"

Hinata pushed her fingers together and was about to ask if Naruto was okay but Rock Lee beat the poor girl to it, "Naruto-kun are you not injured?"

Hinata's face fell but only Neji noticed.

To everyone's shock Sasuke spoke instead of Naruto, "No. He's not." He then turned to the blonde boy, "How did you beat all three of them?"

Naruto stared into Sasuke's eyes for a few moments before turning away, "I don't want to give away any of my skills."

Before Sasuke could respond the cold voice of Gaara pierced the lounge, "Then you can at least answer why you didn't kill them."

Everyone turned to see the Suna team standing in the door way led by a Konoha chuunin. Temari and Kankuro looked almost dead on their feet but Gaara stared unfazed into Naruto's bright blue eyes.

He continued in his monotone, "You stink of their blood and fear but not of death… Why did you spare them?"

Naruto looked at the boy and responded, "I'd already won and… they hadn't done anything in the end…"

Gaara replied quickly, "They threatened your life. They would have ended all that you are. Yet you let them go… Why?"

Naruto thought for several minutes before speaking, "…Because in the end I didn't want to end all that they were and change who I am."

Everyone was taken aback by his answer even Gaara who flinched and then answered back hotly, "You are suppose to be a ninja. How can you stand there and say that you don't wish to prove yourself and destroy your foes."

Naruto replied, "I did become a ninja for a way to show myself to the world, but I want to protect what's important to me no matter the cost and if I can do that without hurting and killing others than that's what I'll do."

Gaara scoffed, "Then why did you hurt them the way you did?"

Naruto's face fell, "I wasn't in control like I should have been."

Gaara replied, "I see now… you're nothing but a weak willed fool. You're too stupid to realize that you didn't want to be in control. You wear a mask because you're to dumb to have actual emotions. Feel lucky Uzumaki Naruto… you no longer interest me."

Gaara turned and walked away with Kankuro following after tiredly. Naruto called out in anger, "I should interest you because I'm going to be Hokage one day. And I maybe a fool Gaara, but at least I'm not a coward! You hide your heart away and don't want to admit that you want friends, kindness, and love even to yourself."

Gaara turned his head once more to Naruto before turning and walking away. Naruto was about to yell some more but was stopped by Temari's hand resting on his shoulder. The girl spoke, "Naruto… can we talk in private?"

Naruto looked like he was about to follow after Gaara but seeing the look in Temari's eyes he nodded and followed after the girl.

Everyone else in the room was at a loss for words until Ino spoke.

"I can't tell if she really likes him or not."

* * *

Temari and Naruto had stepped out into a well lit rest area with several benches. Temari sat down and motioned for Naruto to do likewise.

Temari gave the boy a hard stare, "Naruto you have no idea what kind of danger was following after you during this last test. Just count yourself lucky and try not to attract any more of Gaara's attention."

Naruto replied, "I don't get what his problem is or why you're just letting him act this way!"

Temari sighed and looked around before continuing, "I'm going to tell you something but you can't tell anyone else…"

Naruto thought for a moment before finally nodding. Temari continued, "This starts with the Suna council. In Suna the Kazekage isn't as powerful as the Hokage and has to follow the advice of the council more closely. My father has never been very popular with the council. Now Suna has been slow to recover after the last war and to make matters worse our daimyo has been cutting back more and more on our funding. My father always preached long term solutions to our problems but the council wanted a quick way to boost our power. So they decided that they wished to reattempt an old policy. Before the founding of the shinobi villages there was a powerful monk that saved the people in what would become Suna from a rampaging demon. He did so by sealing the demon into his own body."

Naruto's eyes held a deep horror as he felt his heart speed up, "After a time the monk began to be corrupted by the demon. This is because the demon was the Ichibi, a demon of madness known by some as Shukaku. The monk was finally driven mad by the monster and the people were forced to seal his soul and the demon into a blessed urn. Over time several others attempted to use the demon as a weapon but in the end they all failed. When they decided that they would make the Jinchuriki this time they would use a newborn."

Naruto's heart fell when he heard the title and Temari continued on, but in his heart Naruto already knew what had happened, "So the council couldn't turn the demon against him my father choose his own child as he we be able to raise it as he saw fit. However as I told you earlier my mother died giving birth to Gaara. This is because the demon was able to interfere with it power. As Gaara was born the monster drove our mother insane and she cursed him and the village."

Naruto questioned in a sad voice, "Where you there when it happened?"

Temari's eyes watered, "No… I was only about three, but I heard the story from one of the midwives I worked for during a d-ranked mission. Anyway Gaara was handed over to our mother's brother Yashamaru for him to look after. Gaara grew up protected and everyone else was protected from him. He was in almost complete isolation except for our uncle. When Gaara was about six he was showing no signs of control over his abilities and I guess everyone was getting impatient. I don't know who wanted the council or my father, but one got the other to agree that Gaara needed to be disposed of. They gave the job to Yashamaru."

Naruto had begun to cry, "What happened?"

Temari's eyes began to water as well, "He went through with it but Gaara's control over sand protected him and he beat Yashamaru. Our uncle then told him that our leaders wanted him dead because of his failure with the demon, but the worst blow he laid on him was that he had never cared for Gaara and he had only watched over him because of his orders. He told Gaara he despised him for what happened to our mother. Gaara then finished him off and carved love into his head with his sand. Since then Gaara has been merciless and our government still tries to kill him form time to time."

Naruto's mind was reeling with this revelation, 'The one person he thought loved him. The one person who he thought knew he existed… that mattered… if that had happened to me I would be the same way. If things had worked out just a little differently it would have been me.'

Temari fought back her tears, "Naruto I appreciate you wanting to help Gaara but you can't understand Gaara's situation so please leave him alone. I… I would hate for a good guy like you to hurt."

Naruto seriously considered telling Temari his own story, but he saw the fear in her heart when she said the word Jinchuriki and he still hadn't told his older friends. Also he was afraid that he would lose her and the others as friends.

Naruto spoke in a hollow voice, "I understand Temari. Please don't cry anymore."

Naruto stood and walked away leaving the girl finally fighting back her tears thinking to herself, 'He didn't say he would stop… please Naruto leave it alone.'

* * *

In a dark dungeon Morino Ibiki walked out of a cell and stood before the waiting Hokage, "I've gotten everything I can from them. They have no knowledge of the invasion. They were sent here solely to kill the Uchiha."

The Hokage nodded, "Poor pawns… they were meant to test the boy."

Ibiki asked, "What should we do with them now?"

The Hokage thought for a moment, "Have them patched up as well as can be and have them held in the ANBU detention center until after the invasion. Then we can decide on a more permanent solution. Good job Ibiki. If you will excuse me I have some plans to finalize and I have to prepare for the Kazekage's arrival."

* * *

The final two days passed slowly for the contestants as they waited in vain for more teams to show up. So the seventh day came and progressed until late in the morning. During this time a council meeting was taking place in the tower with the Kazekage also in attendance. The meeting had mainly dealt with security for the finals of the exam and with the information gained from the Oto's genin team. The time had come for the second exam to come to an end.

The Hokage spoke to end the meeting, "We shall meet again at our regularly scheduled time later in the week. Kazekage-dono will be sent any pertinent information since he will probably not be here by that point. Now I am pleased to inform you all here that for the first time in several years we will have to have a preliminary round before the finals can take place."

One of the three civilian elders on the council spoke, "Why is that needed Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage smiled, "It is to help make sure that all that compete in the finals actually deserve to be there and that they didn't get in solely based on the fact that they were on the best team, and it helps keeps the final matches to only lasting one day. Many of the highest level spectators that come to watch are very busy individuals such as daimyo and their advisors."

The man nodded with a big smile, "I see… how many do we have and how many are allowed?"

The Hokage replied, "The absolute maximum we shall allow is ten. We have eighteen genin remaining. So there shall be eight prelim matches. The participants are chosen at random but those that got here first shall have better odds at not being chosen. I will say Kazekage-dono that your team got here the latest even though they had plenty of time to spare so it is likely that your children will all have matches."

The Kazekage smiled, "I understand. I imagine that the two teams that finished right ahead of them shall most likely have to compete as well. I say this with the most respect to all of you genin but I still like my children's chances. May I watch with you Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage nodded, "Yes… in fact everyone here may watch if you wish. Several of the clans here have members competing."

Eighteen genin stood in a large room with a long balcony and large statue. In the room was a lone jounin standing before them, their senseis, large numbers of ANBU, council members, and two Kages.

The Hokage cleared his throat and spoke in a calm booming tone, "You have all performed most admirably during the course of this exam. The fact that most of you only graduated six months ago makes this more impressive. There is only one test left but there are too many of you remaining however. So we will now have a preliminary round."

* * *

The genin all started to talk amongst themselves but the Hokage spoke quickly to cut this off, "Now don't worry if you made it this far that means even if you fail you will have an even better chance of advancing six months from now. Now it is time to tell you of the true purpose of theses exams."

Kiba barked out, "I thought that these exams were suppose to show who was ready to become chuunin!"

The Hokage nodded, "That is a very important reason, but the most important purpose is to serve as a substitute for war."

The genin looked amongst themselves as the Hokage continued, "The wars of the shinobi villages were fought because each wanted their country to have resources for numerous reasons, and competition for those resources led to fighting which led to bad blood which led to war. After the end of the Second Great Ninja War there was still bad blood and another war loomed on the horizon. The idea for the Chuunin Exam came about as a way to limit direct competition and instead exhibit strengths without major incidents of bloodshed. In the end it wasn't enough to stop the Third War but it did buy a few years of peace. By the end of Third War everyone was tired and ready for the bloodshed to cease. The Chuunin Exams have since kept things reasonably in check with little more than a few small flare ups since then. So when you are in the finals it is important that you give all you have and hold nothing back because you aren't just fighting for yourself but for the peace and prosperity of your village. Now the rules for this round are sim-"

The lone jounin on the floor with the genin coughed and spoke, "Forgive me Hokage-sama but this is where I should begin my duties."

The Hokage was stunned for a moment before smiling, "You're right of course Gekkou-kun. I was just excited please explain it for them."

The man bowed, "Thank you Hokage-sama. There are ten spots open and eighteen of you. This screen will pick two names at random. The earlier you got here the less chance you'll be chosen. You will not have to face a teammate at this stage of the exam. These will be one on one tests of skill if anyone intervenes on your behalf you will be disqualified. You will not start until I say begin. You win by knocking your opponent out or getting them to surrender. Killing is acceptable but it is frowned upon. If you do not feel you are up to this then say so now…"

No one said anything so Gekkou continued, "Very well take your places by your senseis and we shall begin."

After every one had taken positions the screen lit up and began to spin through the choices on names. The first name that appeared was Uchiha Sasuke. Everyone in the room suddenly was on the edge of their seats, and then the second name appeared. It was Akimichi Choji.

Ino was suddenly torn about whom to support she turned to her teammate and spoke, "Well Choji… good luck, give it your best go."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and put his arm around his best friend, "Don't worry about her Choji. Just attack first and quick and fight as hard as you can."

Choji perked up slightly but he still gave Ino a look that showed a great deal of hurt which the girl didn't seem to notice, Asuma placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You'll do fine Choji. You've learned your family jutsu since the academy so you should have some suprises for him sharingan or not."

Choji nodded and jumped down into the arena. Up in the balcony Naruto and Sakura wished him luck along with Kakashi. The raven haired boy followed Choji and landed near in front of him. Sakura spoke, "I feel bad for Choji having to fight Sasuke-kun first off."

Kakashi smiled and revealed his sharingan, "Don't underestimate Choji. Sasuke might be better rounded but Choji is slightly more skilled at ninjutsu and that can mean a lot if Sasuke can't figure out how to cancel those skills out."

True to Kakashi's prediction and to all the genin but Shikamaru's surprise Choji started the fight.

'**Baika no Jutsu'**

As Choji's body became a round ball he began to roll towards Sasuke.

'**Nikudan Sensha'**

Sasuke jumped out of the way of Choji's attack but the spinning boy the seemed to jump and tried to come down on top of Sasuke. The Uchiha dodged this to and began to jump around as Choji charged and bounced respectively. Choji kept up the pressure but Sasuke placed an explosive tag on a wall a waited for the last second to dodge. The tag exploded and sent Choji flying out of his rolling forum. Sasuke used this opportunity to try a new move.

'**Shishi Rendan'**

And as quickly as the match started it was over. Choji landed hard on his back and slipped into unconsciousness.

Observing Rock Lee question, "How did he copy that much? He wasn't able to stop me earlier."

Gai spoke in a serious tone, "Just because he can't react doesn't mean that his sharingan can't copy it."

As Choji was carted off Ino moaned, "Oh… I feel bad for not giving him more encouragement. Come get me if my name comes up."

As Ino ran to the infirmary the screen displayed the names of Rock Lee and Gaara.

* * *

Asuma asked Shikamaru, "Aren't you going to?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "I think Choji would prefer it be just her. Besides I want to see this one."

* * *

When Choji came too he saw Ino's unique eyes looking down at him. The boy blushed and asked, "What happened?"

Ino smiled, "You lost. Don't feel bad though you fought really well. I was very impressed."

Choji blushed even brighter, "Really?"

Ino nodded, "Yeah. Come on they said you could go back once you woke up."

As the two walked back to the arena they were blown by a group of medics rushing Rock Lee into treatment. Ino and Choji rejoined Shikamaru and felt tension in the air.

Ino asked seeing the room in such disrepair, "What happened?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome. I'll tell you later."

As he said this the board displayed the next two names.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji

* * *

**MAN OH MAN! This Chapter is way longer than I intended! Orginally it was suppose to cover all of the second round and the prelims but this is the longest thing i have ever written on this sight and I was ready to get it out. I didn't really do much proofreading before posting this so if anyone sees any major problems let me know. I know it probably felt like I rushed the Choji Sasuke fight but that's how i had planned it. Also I never intended to do a blow by blow recreation of the Gaara Lee fight. Just know that it was virtually the same fight. Now we get to some majorly different match ups. Now I think I answered all of the review I have gotten since the last upload except for those accounts that don't allow for replies. If you have any questions please ask. Also PLEASE review this one! **

**UPDATE1: Switched Dosu and Zaku's names. That was a bad one. Thanks to Rakugosha and Forgotten Honor for the early catches.  
**


	9. What Lies Under

**AN: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I've gotten a lot of help notes and praise and I thank you all. Now we continue on. Oh and if you haven't seen some of the recent manga's you will be SPOLIED!**

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* * *

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_Tsunade, Orochimaru, Dan, and several chuunin made their way to Konoha's main gates on their way back from a massive border patrol mission. As they approached they saw a large crowd of ANBU surrounding a furious looking Jiraiya, Hokage, his advisor teammates, and wife of the Shodai Hokage._

"_Damn it old man let me go after him!" Jiraiya exclaimed_

_The Hokage shook his head and spoke, "We don't even know if he is still out there or not much less where he is. It could just as easily be the case that he is returning as we speak. We need you here to plan an infiltration and retrieval mission if they got her across the border with the information they bring back."_

_They turned to see the returning group and Jiraiya spoke once more, "They can do that now. Let me go. As talented as Minato is this isn't the type of mission a rookie chuunin can do solo!"_

_The Hokage shook his head, "You're too emotional. You'll make a mistake. I know Kuroda made a mistake letting Minato go off on his own but it's too late to worry about that now. I've got good men looking for him now I need you to find the girl!"_

_Jiraiya was about to yell when Tsunade spoke cutting him off, "What's going on?"_

_Tsunade's grandmother Uzumaki Mito spoke in a raspy and tired voice, "Kumo has captured our kinswoman Uzumaki Kushina due to her natural sealing chakra. Jiraiya-kun is upset because his star pupil is a part of an undermanned team attempting to find her with no way to communicate with us, and all the other members have returned empty handed. Now Jiraiya wants to go find him even after the Hokage sent a squad to find the boy with orders to return."_

_Tsunade placed an arm around her grandmother, "Well let us worry about that. You shouldn't be out here it's to hot and frustrating to be listing to them argue."_

_Mito turned to face her granddaughter eye to eye with a calm smile, which caused Tsunade to look back confused, "Tsundae-chan, You have always been so kind to others and it is a great credit to you. However, you shouldn't worry about me. I have lived a long and fruitful life. The only regret that I would have is to not be able to see my promise to Kushina-chan and our clansmen through. I promised that I would make sure she would be safe and loved until I passed on and by that time she would no longer need anyone to protect her. I must see this through. An Uzumaki always keeps a promise." _

_Tsunade continued to stare at her grandmother before nodding. She turned to see Jiraiya muttering to himself as the Hokage was talking to Orochimaru and Dan. _

"_I should have had him sign the contract; even if he couldn't summon Gamabunta he could summon a smaller toad. That's it when he get's back I'll take him on a vacation for the weekend and help him pay the tribute."_

_Mito smiled at Jiraiya, "Don't worry Jiraiya-kun they'll be fine."_

_Jiraiya nodded to be polite but it was easy to see he was still very worried._

_Suddenly the team sent to retrieve Minato entered the gate with the boy following close by. He was carrying a tired but smiling Kushina bridal style. All who had been standing around the gate rushed to the returning team._

_The Inuzuka who had been sent to find Minato spoke, "We found them on their way back. The girl isn't hurt but they tied her up with rope that drained chakra and there wasn't much time to rest."_

_Minato gently placed Kushina on her feet and braced her as she got her balance. The girl ran to Mito and the two embraced in a tight hug and as they did so Kushina whispered into the older woman's ear, "It's like… I found someone who can fill the vessel with love."_

_The older woman pulled back slightly and gave the girl a surprised look and then smiled even wider. She pulled back and spoke to the Hokage, "I'm going to take Kushina-chan to the hospital and then home for a nice meal. I'll have her send a report tomorrow."_

_The Hokage bowed with a bemused smile on his face. Mito then turned to Minato and spoke, "Minato-kun you will have dinner with us this weekend. I'll send you the day and time later."_

_Minato was surprised but replied, "Uh- of course Mito-sama."_

_The old woman then led Kushina away to the hospital. Minato and Kushina waved good-bye to each other until she was out of sight. Minato then turned to the Hokage._

"_Sir I brought back a sample of the rope and seal that they bound Kushina with and I'll have my report to you tomorrow."_

_The Hokage smiled, "Excellent work Minato-kun. You should also go through the Bingo Book and see if you can identify any of the men who took her."_

"_Yes sir!"_

_The Hokage smiled and made his way back to his office with his ANBU following close behind. Minato turned to his teacher and smiled._

"_Hello Jiraiya-sensei."_

_The man smiled, "Good job Minato. Akina and Anji will be glad to know you're back and so I am to for that matter. Go home and tell your mother you're back and then meet me for dinner at that barbeque place by my house there's something I want to talk to you about."_

_Minato nodded and ran off._

_Jiraiya turned to his teammates, Dan, and the retrieval team, "You guys are welcome to come too I guess."_

_The retrieval team bowed out of the invitation but the Inuzuka in charge spoke, "By the way your student seems to have taken after you in terms of being a ladies man."_

_Jiraiya looked surprised, "Oh?"_

_The man nodded, "Oh yes. He carried her back just like that the whole way and she wasn't complaining at all. She just kept shooting him these beaming smiles and making eyes at him and he was doing the same thing to her."_

_Jiraiya's mouth curved into a truly impressive and devious smile, which caused everyone who saw it to suddenly shiver._

_-Namikaze Minato returning Uzumaki Kushina to Konoha_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke's sharingan changed back to normal as he watched the medics place the broken Rock Lee on a gurney and rush him to the infirmary. Fear gripped his heart as he watched Gaara stare coldly at Maito Gai. Not that the boy was staring down a jounin but because he had no clue how any of the genin could stop the monster masquerading as a boy. His eyes shifted to Naruto. The boy was looking at Gaara as well but while he had fear in his eyes it wasn't fear of the boy but fear for him. There was also numerous other things in Naruto's eyes that Sasuke couldn't begin to place. This annoyed Sasuke because it was something that added to the mystery that the loud boy had suddenly become. Since finding the blood drenched Naruto in the forest the boy hadn't said much of anything which in the forest Sasuke didn't mind because they were all tired, hungry, and they should have put all of their energy into making it to the tower, but since arriving Naruto spent all of his time staying away from them. He had found a small corner of the tower and had stayed there. The only real thing the boy had done was wash his clothes. Sasuke didn't like this sudden change. To make matters worse he had asked Sakura about what had happened the night before the exam, and though she had been extremely embarrassed and reluctant to explain what had happened she finally gave in. Of course that didn't explain anything because it sounded as though everything went well. So it was obvious that something happened to the boy after Sakura and he had parted ways. As the chuunin finally cleared off the arena the board flickered to life.

The first name to appear was Uzumaki Naruto. Finally he reacted in a way Sasuke expected.

"Alright! I finally get to show everybody what I've got."

The second name that appeared on the board was that of Hyuuga Neji. Sasuke felt his heart fall for his friend though he wouldn't admit it. Sakura spoke softly, "I'm sorry Naruto."

Naruto turned his head to the girl, "Why?"

Sakura yelled, "Why? You heard what Lee-san said. Even he hasn't beaten Neji."

Naruto frowned, "That doesn't mean anything. I can't speak for bushy brow but I know that this match is on my path to being Hokage and I won't fail… no matter the cost."

Sakura was about to respond but Kakashi spoke instead, "You've only been a ninja six months Naruto and all of you have made great leaps in a short amount of time so don't put too much on yourself for this. Neji is a genius of the Hyuuga clan who is already able to see and close an opponents chakra systems down, and he has a six months more experience than you."

Naruto nodded, "I get that but I'm not going to give up before I even start just because it's going to be hard!

Kakashi smiled, "I'm not asking you to. I just want you to know that even if you don't win it won't be the end of the world or your dreams."

Naruto responded, "I know."

Kakashi nodded, "Alright. Remember to try and fight Neji from a distance so he can't cut your chakra off."

Naruto nodded and jumped down into the arena to meet Neji.

* * *

Temari felt her heart speed up as she saw Naruto land in the arena. She had felt better after her talk with the boy, despite his lack of a promise, and Gaara's now seeming disinterest. However Gaara had been physically injured for the first time and the way that crazy jounin had protected the defeated Rock Lee had disturbed Gaara greatly. It brought to her mind what Naruto had said to Gaara about wanting friends and companionship even if he didn't acknowledge it. Now with Naruto in front of him Temari was afraid that Gaara would strike at anything to vent his frustrations so feeling guilty she prayed the boy would fail to impress.

Naruto and Neji stared at each other across the arena. Neji had a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Naruto returned it and waited for Gekkou to start the match.

The man looked back and forth between the two and raised his arm, "Begin!"

Naruto charged straight at Neji which caused the older boy to smirk. Neji prepared to defend and counter but right before Naruto reached him he jumped and threw three shuriken at Neji who, though surprised, was easily able to dodge the stars. Naruto charged at Neji again as the boys back was turned. Swinging as hard as he could Naruto felt his fist touch Neji but it was just a glancing blow into the older boy's shoulder. Neji spun and kicked Naruto in the jaw sending the boy skidding clear across the floor.

Neji smirked, "Is this the best you can do?"

Naruto replied, "Please, I haven't even gotten started."

Neji responded "You think I have? I won't even have to use my Byakugan on a nobody like you."

Naruto growled and charged once more making Neji's smirk grow. As he approached Naruto formed his hand signs and called out.

'**Kage Bushin no Jutsu'**

**

* * *

**In the balcony numerous murmurs broke out among Naruto's classmate. Ino, who had returned from the infirmary with Choji, whistled, "Man that's a lot of clones from a guy who couldn't make one six months ago."

Shikamaru concurred, "Yeah… but those clones seem different."

* * *

Temari was very perplexed, "Clones? Doesn't he have anything better than that?"

Baki spoke drawing his team's attention, "Those aren't normal clones. They are Kage Bushin. They are tangible but the draw back is that to create them you must split your chakra equally for each one you wish to make and it takes a lot just to make one… For him to be able to make that many and still be alive, much less able to stand then he must have an enormous amount of chakra for someone his age. I wonder where he learned a technique like that."

Temari watched as the ten Narutos reached Neji before shifting over to Gaara to observe his reaction.

Neji smirked as the first two reached and struck forward with his right fist and before he had even connected he was already preparing to flip forward and kick the next one with his left leg. As he hit the first one he noticed something odd but he continued through with his attack. When his foot made contact with the second clone his eyes widened. He realized these clones were corporeal and weren't just mere distractions. As he saw the ones he hit finally disperse he tried to reset himself to fend them all off but he was caught by surprise by a powerful punch to the gut. He then felt two of the clones grab his arms while another two grabbed his legs. The remaining four took turns getting their blows in before Neji growled and using all of his strength he was able to break an arm free and strike the clone holding his other arm. When one of those clones who had been hitting him tried to grab him his now free limb Neji swung it and back handed it dispersing two more clones. Neji quickly struck the two clones holding his legs but as he did this he was tackled from behind and quickly kicked by the other three of the remaining four. Growling Neji used all of his strength and greater weight to push himself off the ground and spin around so his legs struck the remaining four Narutos. As they landed three of them popped out of existence. Naruto quickly jumped to his feet and stared as Neji righted himself and spun to see Naruto smiling.

Neji frowned, "It seems that you're not as pathetic as I thought, but not by much."

Naruto laughed, "Last I checked you've hit me twice while I've hit you a lot more."

Neji replied, "I could kill you with one hit if I used my Byakugan and struck your heart."

Naruto smirked, "I thought you wouldn't have to use your Byakugan?"

Neji growled and charged at Naruto. Up in the balcony Gai spoke to Kakashi.

* * *

"I'm impressed… it isn't easy to get Neji to display any kind of emotion but Naruto-kun was able to do so very easily."

Kakashi chuckled, "He certainly has a way with people. Before the match I imagine everyone would have bet that Naruto would've been the one to lose his temper, but that said I don't know if it will help him or not."

* * *

Naruto kept dodging Neji's quick strikes but he wasn't able to find a moment to counter attack. As Neji slowly tried to back Naruto into a corner the blonde formed his seals and created eleven clones. Neji charged forward so they could not coordinate an attack plan. As he reached and struck the first two clones he was about to charge forward again, but he stopped and jumped back when a smoke bomb exploded right in front of him. Neji braced himself in preparation for the next attack, and kicked another clone as it charged him despite the fact that the small amount of smoke he had gotten in his eyes was irritating him. As he reorientated himself for the next attack another ball fell at his feet and exploded sending out a blinding flash causing Neji yell in pain. At that point five clones quickly surrounded Neji. One charged straight at the boy and punched him in the head which caused the boy lose his footing. Quickly another clone charged in and kicked Neji into the air. This was followed by three more kicking him higher into the air each shouting in succession "U, Zu, Ma, Ki." At the height of his ascent four Narutos appeared and each struck with heel drops and all shouted "Rendan." One struck Neji's forehead and tore his hitai-ate from his head. Neji thudded to the ground while Naruto and his clones gathered a short distance away. Gekkou waited a moment before he began his countdown.

* * *

In the stands there was only silence save for TenTen yelling Neji's name. Beside her Gai stared in shock at his talented pupil's state before he spoke to Kakashi.

"It seems that you have taught Naruto to copy techniques as well."

Sasuke scoffed but had a small smile on his face, "He owes me… he wasn't able to copy that from Lee. He got that from me."

Kakashi spoke to both, "That's true but Naruto was able to come up with a way to use the technique that no one else could. He improvises well…"

Gai smiled and placed a hand on the worried Ten-Ten's shoulder, "Very true, but Neji isn't done yet."

* * *

On the side where the Suna team was watching Kankuro and Temari's eyes were wide with shock at what had transpired. The girl turned to look at her youngest brother. Gaara's face had assumed its usual emotionless mask but Temari saw that his eyes were devouring every bit of information they could see. Temari's heart began to feel even heavier than it had been and it made her want to yell at the top of her lungs for Naruto to give up.

* * *

Hinata nervously poked her fingers together torn between her feelings for Naruto and concern for Neji's wellbeing. Turning away from the proctor beginning his count she turned to look at her father who had shown up with the two Kages and several other council members. As usual his face was an emotionless mask and Hinata once again felt her spirits start to fall but she was drawn from this dark thought by Kurenai's hand on her shoulder and quite voice.

"It's not over yet."

* * *

"Five… Six… Sev-"

Naruto and his clones braced to start the fight once again but Naruto was shocked when Neji turned to face him, "Is… Is that a seal?"

Neji's numerous cuts, bruises, and dress served to highlight the rage in his eyes.

"This is the Caged Bird Seal. It is given to all members of the Hyuuga branch house. It is a sign of our servitude to the main house. You see my father was the younger of twin brothers. His brother was kept in the main branch while my father was marked to serve him. His brother eventually became head of the clan while my father no less skilled merely progressed as a guard in the family ranks. My uncle's children became a part of the main house while I was sealed into the branch house. However growing up I felt no ill will towards the main family. During Konoha's peace talks with Kumo their main negotiator attempted to kidnap Hinata-sama and he was killed by Hiashi-sama. Kumo demanded reparations or the war would go on. Our clan elders decided that they would kill my father in Hiashi-sama's place and my father went along with it."

Naruto and his clones stared sadly at the angry boy, "How… how could they do it?"

Neji replied in his regained stoic manner, "The same reason why all things in this world happen. Fate. It controls everything and everyone. There is no way to fight it. That is why you will not defeat me because it is my fate to be the genius of the Hyuuga and never lead them, and it is your fate to be the dead last."

Naruto growled, "That's bullshit! No one controls me! I'm here because I want to be and even if I lose it won't because of some bullshit about destiny."

Neji shook his head, "I've had enough of this pointless debate. I'll just have to go back on my words and show you the inescapable power of destiny. Byakugan!"

The veins around the boy's eyes bulged to life and he charged at the group of clones at a quicker pace than what he had been doing before. Reaching the group he quickly and easily knocked around all of the Narutos down. The clones popped out of being and Naruto stood wiping sweat from his brow.

Neji spoke in a cold tone, "You see with my eyes your victory is impossible."

Naruto smirked, "No. With your eyes my victory is just harder to win. It also proves my point."

Neji frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Naruto replied, "You choose not to use your eyes at first. Now when you're so badly hurt you use them so you won't lose. If you really believed in fate you wouldn't have bothered you would've just kick ass."

Neji smirked, "I won't be goaded anymore."

He charged again at Naruto, who threw a handful of shuriken. Neji dodged easily but Naruto used this time to make five more clones. They then charged at Neji who noticed that one clone was lagging behind the rest. Neji smirked and quickly struck down three of the clones. One of the remaining Narutos kicked Neji in the leg but the boy maintained his balance and swung the kicker into the Naruto that had stayed in the rear. As they collided Neji punched the remaining Naruto in the throat which resulted in him popping of existence. Neji watched as the Naruto that had been thrown at stood up and again formed four more clones. Neji smiled triumphantly and charged to the Naruto that had taken position in the back striking him in the chest.

Neji smirked, "Your jutsu is impressive but easy to figure out. Hiding behind your clones as shields is pointless though because you reveal which one is real."

Naruto's grimace changed to a smile as he popped out of existence. Neji was shocked as he turned around and saw the real Naruto's fist smash into his face.

Naruto chuckled, "Like I told you before your eyes aren't as good as you think.

Neji spit blood from his mouth that was gushing from his nose, "Why don't you get it. You saw what happened to Lee when he faced Gaara. Everything he did, all his training meant nothing. That is why my father didn't fight back… why he didn't try to stay with me because it was his fate… THAT IS WHY YOU CAN'T BEST ME! BECAUSE YOU ARE NOTHING! YOU MEAN NOTHING TO EVERYONE AND NOTHING YOU DO WILL EVER CHANGE THAT!"

As he began to yell Neji charged at Naruto and began to rain chakra disabling blows down on to his blonde opponent before finally sending him flying into a wall with a sickening thud.

Neji turned around and began to walk away and spoke to the proctor, "He's done."

* * *

On the balcony there was silence. Temari's eyes watered at how the fight had ended. Naruto had fought well against a talented foe and it seemed so wrong for him to lose this way. What was more was the way that Neji had discounted the boy. She turned to look at her brother and was surprised that he seemed to emanate an almost… sad aura.

* * *

Gai whispered sadly, "Poor Naruto-kun… Poor Neji…"

Kakashi spoke softly to Gai, "I know something of what Neji feels… It's hard to get a boy to let go of those things Gai just keep trying. Deep down he wants to believe in something else."

Gai nodded, "Kakashi… It is times like this I'm glad you are not just my rival, but also my friend."

* * *

Hinata's face was one of pure anguish. Kurenai looked at the girl sadly and was about to speak but stopped when the proctor interrupted his count suddenly.

* * *

Naruto slowly stood and formed seals for the Kage Bushin, "I'm not done yet…"

Neji spun to look at the boy, "No. You are… I closed down your chakra system you will not be able to use any jutsu for at least a week. Now I grow tired of this!"

As Neji charged to Naruto once again the blonde closed his eyes and tried with all he had to make a clone. When he opened them he was stunned to find himself in what looked like a sewer. Calling out as he walked down the waterway he came to a large cage with a seal in the center. He slowly tried to see what was making the low rumbling sound. He jumped back quickly as a pair of sharp claws attempted to stab him.

A dark voice growled, "_**Come here so I can devour you!**_"

Naruto replied, "Like that will make me come to you. Are you the… Kyuubi?"

A chuckle came from the cage, "Of course fool. What else would I be? Do you have any other beings sealed in you watching you get your ass handed to you?"

"Shut the hell up! I'll beat this guy no problem. I got rid of those sound guys."

"_**FOOL!**_ You used my power to defeat those weaklings. Power that you stole with your anger and hatred. You don't feel that way toward the Hyuuga despite what he's done to you and without my power there is no way to beat him since he sealed away your chakra."

Naruto thought for a moment, "Then give me some of your power."

The Kyuubi replied darkly, "Remove the seal and I will."

Naruto laughed, "Dumb fox. I'm not stupid."

The Kyuubi smashed the bars and roared, "_**Insolent brat! Let him beat you within an inch of your life! I'll not willingly give you access to the greatest power in existence. **_"

Naruto smirked, "You owe me rent fox. Beside don't you want to show everyone that you're the strongest thing there is? Or do you think like Neji and think fate is stronger?"

The Kyuubi let loose a deep bellow of laughter, "Seeking to play off my pride boy? You have guts… I can't wait to devour them. Though there is someone I'd like to send a message to… that puppet of a boy and Shukaku."

Naruto's ears perked up, "Gaara?"

"Yes. You see he spreads his madness to his hosts when they sleep. When they are awake he can only suggest and as that boy has no real desire to use his individual willpower the Shukaku gets to enjoy his mad games all the time. I want to show that dog he is still a pathetic weakling… If you promise to remind him who's still the strongest I'll lend you my power."

Naruto raised his fist, "I promise that and I promise that I'll show Gaara a way to live where he won't want to do the things Shukaku tells him to do."

The Kyuubi's eyes bored into Naruto's, "Don't go back on your word boy…"

Naruto replied, "Of course not even if it is a deal with you… It's against my nindo."

The Kyuubi replied, "Very well then… Just remember that one day these bars will not be between us and on that day I will devour you mind, body and soul."

When Naruto's eye popped open Neji was a foot in front of him ready to strike. However just as his fist came down Naruto caught it as orange chakra poured out from his body. Naruto reared back and punched Neji in the face. The boy flew backwards skidding across the floor stopping just short of the wall.

* * *

Kakashi and the other leaf adults were all suddenly very tense as the orange chakra flamed over Naruto so quickly it tore the zipper holding his tattered jacket on leaving the boy in his black under shirt. They looked to the calm Hokage for orders. The old man made the slightest of hand gestures telling them to watch for the moment that the Kazekage noticed.

* * *

Temari watched in shock as Naruto emitted an enormous charka from his body and his wounds miraculously healed themselves. After a moment she noticed that Gaara's face held a look of untold surprise as he watched the continuing fight.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke watched as Naruto prepared to watch a counter attack. Ino and her team spoke to them in hushed tones.

"What is that jutsu?"

Sakura shook her head, "I don't know... I've not seen him use it before. Though the chakra feels like the one I felt on our mission to wave."

Sasuke spoke, "It's not an elemental... It looks like what he was using in the forest... though not nearly as strong as that... When did learn that? Is it a Kekkai Genkai?"

* * *

Neji stood and tried to fight back as Naruto closed in and began to strike him. Neji's look grew more worried as he struck Naruto and found that he could no longer close off his chakra due to the massive source of the boy's power, and as Naruto was no longer injured his own injuries seemed double. Finally Naruto grew tired of trading blows and caught Neji's hands. He then reared back and crashed his head into Neji's and as he no longer had his head band Naruto's metal plate on his hitai-ate caused the boy to fall to his knees and look up at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes were like a snake's and while they retained their blue hue there seemed to several specks of orange and red, and his hands had turned to claws. Naruto grabbed Neji by the shirt and lifted his eyes to look at his own.

"I've never had a father so I can't understand why he did what he did or how much it hurt you, but I would think that you wouldn't want to make the same choices he did and cause the same pain to the people you care about and who care about you. I think you would want to make better choices than your father did and make him proud. After all if a nobody like me could beat fate imagine what a genius of the Hyuuga clan could do."

Neji stared shocked at the younger boy even though his vision was beginning to blur, "Uzumaki…"

Naruto continued, "If you fight fate with me I promise when I become Hokage I'll change the way the Hyuuga clan works so that what happened to you will never happen to anyone else."

Neji looked like he was about to speak but suddenly his eyes closed and he went limp. The proctor raised his hand and called out.

"Winner Uzumaki Naruto! Could we get a medic team here please?"

Before Naruto could move away he felt a presence materialize behind him. Gaara stood with his arms crossed staring into Naruto's eyes.

"I was wrong earlier. You do have real emotions. I saw your eyes as your mask feel. You have more hate in your heart than anyone I've ever seen. More than the Hyuuga, Uchiha, or even myself. You have enough anger and rage to turn this world into ash."

Naruto replied softly, "Your point?

"Why didn't you use it? Why did you not kill? Why didn't you use that monster inside you to obliterate all he is? He discounted your existence."

"Don't you get it? I proved it by beating him and promising to help him. Besides the hate that we all have… it's not ours. It's been pushed on us by others. By the people who ignored us, hated us, betrayed us, left us. Gaara… forget the hate that others have put on you. Follow your own path and desires. You'll see how great life can be when you aren't tied down by the cruelty of others…"

Gaara's eyes betrayed nothing, "I could give your blood to my mother… It could give her the power we need to crush our enemies."

"It's not your mother… it's the Ichibi. Mine is the Kyuubi. These things aren't us and they don't make us. We have our own lives and choices to make."

"You have your path I have mine, and I don't recognize that yours is better."

"Then I'll beat you and show you mine is the better way."

"Unlike you I'll not hold back my hate."

"I will and I will win anyway."

"Fool…"

Gaara turned and was about to get back to the balcony before Naruto spoke once more, "Gaara, I want all of your hate and power. Don't waste any of it on anyone else."

Gaara replied, "I will wait until I face you in the finals and everyone will see what we really are."

Naruto and Gaara turned from each other and made their way from their respective ends of the balcony. The medics had finally taken Neji back to the infirmary and chuunin had begun to clear away debris. As Gaara took his place by his team the Kazekage watched with supreme interest and wondered what had passed between the two boys. He had ideas of course and those ideas had led to several plans that for the first time offered a glimmer of hope to the Kazekage. Praying silently the Kazekage hopped that the sliver could grow larger still.

As Naruto approached his team and friends he felt their curious eyes boring into him. Taking care not to make eye contact with any of them Naruto sat down and put his legs through the rafters to view the next match.

Kakashi smiled, "Congratulations Naruto!"

Naruto leaned back and turned to his head, "Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

"Are you okay? Not hurt?"

"I'm fine, just tired but I wanna see the rest of the matches. I have to scout my competition."

"You're learning."

* * *

Temari watched Gaara take his place beside herself and Baki with a great feeling of unease flowing threw her. Before she could speak her teacher did.

"What was that about Gaara?"

The red head turned to the man, "Everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Uzumaki refuses to see the truth and continues to delude himself with foolish notions. He will not face me the way I want him to, but at least he will face me… Then he will see the truth before I crush him with my sand."

Temari's stomach which had already been queasy quickly twisted itself into terrible knots. However there wasn't much time to think because the board lit up once again to reveal the names of Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed, "So troublesome… two on one… I'd almost rather fight a woman."

Ino quickly smacked him in the head, "Shut up! Now do your best and don't suck!"

Asuma and Choji chuckled before wishing him luck.

* * *

Kurenai spoke to Kiba as Shino and Hinata gave him their best wishes.

"You should have the advantage one on one. His taijutsu wasn't ranked very high and with Akumaru you should win but you should still be cautious Naras can be dangerous if you underestimate them."

Kiba smiled, "Don't worry. We'll get things done no problem."

* * *

The two boys stood on the ground watching each other silently waiting for the proctor to begin the match.

Finally the man raised his arm and yelled, "Begin."

* * *

**AN: Hello all! I had wanted this chapter to be longer but I got all the important things in. The next Chapter will lay out who fought who to prepare for the finals but there won't be to much details in the fights, and we will set the stage for everyone's training. Anyway I want to thank everyone for the reviews and if you didn't hear back from me it is because you reviewed fairly recently, were anon, or you have your settings where I can't reply. Anyway please read and review it really helps me out. Thanks ahead of time and please enjoy.**


	10. Prelims Ending

**AN: Here is the new chapter! I've replied to all of the reviews except for people who don't allow for responses. Anyway I hope you all enjoy. Please read and review and feel free to ask questions. Thank you.**

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* * *

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_Kushina sat nervously in the Senju family's garden. Minato had sat beside her on a stone bench. The two were very quite and merely shifting their gaze around the garden. Finally Minato spoke._

"_I've enjoyed today a lot Kushina. Mito-sama is very kind and a wonderful hostess."_

_Kushina rambled, "It has been nice. Normally it's just the two of us, and Tsunade-hime every now and then. She's very busy with her duties. I'm glad she and Dan came to."_

_Minato smiled, "Kushina, I've read a little about Konoha's alliance with your family and homeland. Why were you chosen to come here?"_

_Kushina looked away from Minato. She didn't want to tell him about being chosen for the Kyuubi's vessel, "My chakra was most suited to learning Mito-sama's abilities and I was honored to be chosen to keep the peace between our people."_

_Minato sensed the pain hidden behind the girl's words, "What's wrong Kushina?"_

_The girl's eyes watered up, "Mito-sama is very old and her time is short. She won't be here to help me soon, and even though I've made friends since I graduated I'm worried that without her I won't be strong enough."_

_Minato gently placed his hand on the girls shoulder, "Your friends will be here for you."_

"_There's something else though. Minato… do you know about Jinchuriki?"_

_Minato looked surprised, "Yes, I've read about them. In the more advanced scrolls and books dealing with seals they are a very important topic. Why do you ask?"_

"_Do you think Jinchuriki are still human?"_

"_Of course, the idea they become like the demons is just superstitions that the uneducated or ignorant believe. Oh sure depending on the sealing method and what is sealed inside the sacrifice may take on various aspects to their personality and or body, but they are still human."_

"_Could you be friends with one? Could you… love one?"_

_Minato was shocked at the question but he held his face in a look affection and compassion, "Yes I could be friends with one, and as for loving one… if they were kind, brave, funny, smart, and had beautiful red hair yes I suppose I could love one."_

_Kushina's face became scarlet and Minato continued, "Why do you ask?"_

_Kushina's looked into Minato's eyes, "Mito-sama sealed the Kyuubi into herself using our people's special chakra. With her end coming quickly the Kyuubi will need a new avatar or it will be free to cause bloodshed and destruction."_

_Minato cut in, "So you will be able to reseal it with the skills Mito-sama taught you?"_

_Kushina nodded, "Not only that but my chakra will allow me to control and handle the Kyuubi's power to an advanced extent without having been trained by others to do so. Also no one will have to die from this method… aside from Mito-sama."_

_Minato spoke gently, "I can't begin to understand the burden this will place on you or how much it must have already bothered you. However I promise that I will help you as much as I can as long as I live, and like the Uzumaki I never go back on my word."_

_Minato then did something that shocked both himself and Kushina. He wrapped his arms around her head and shoulders, pulled Kushina into a soft embrace, and then gave her a deep kiss._

_~Minato and Kushina's first kiss _

_

* * *

_Kurenai rubbed her head as the paramedics took Kiba and Akamaru into the infirmary. They had used the Juujin Bunshin jutsu and tried to flank Shikamaru, but the Nara was easily able to trap them with his shadow manipulation and then he threw a kunai with an explosive tag right in front of himself. He then walked forward which brought Kiba and Akamaru to where he had been. Once the explosion was set off Akamaru and Kiba were done because the hound had lost his human shape and Kiba's right foot was broken.

Kurenai cursed to herself, 'I warned him not to rush to quickly. Ugh… Asuma is going to enjoy holding this over me for awhile.'

Hinata and Shino rushed down the stairs to meet their teammate. Shikamaru was walking beside the gurney that held Kiba and Akamaru, "Hope you guys feel better soon… No hard feelings right?"

Kiba grimaced in pain, "Yeah. I was too hot headed. I just hope I didn't get Akamaru in to bad of shape."

Shikamaru patted his shoulder before he walked away, "I'm sure you guys will be okay. I made sure the explosion wouldn't be stronger than a sledgehammer at its most concentrated point."

Kiba grimaced, "Thanks for that."

Shikamaru nodded to Hinata and Shino as they passed by to comfort their teammates. As he reached the top of the stairs he noticed that the board had given up the names of the name of Sabaku no Kankurou and Tsurugi Misumi. As Shikamaru walked by he stopped by Naruto and spoke quietly.

"Naruto… that jutsu you used… what was it?"

Naruto stared into Shikamaru's eyes for a long time, "Why do you want to know? I need to keep it secret for the finals… who knows we may face each other."

Shikamaru shrugged and continued on, "Whatever…"

The Nara boy thought to himself, 'So he knows what it is and he knows that it is similar to Gaara's power. Which raises the question… why is he afraid of us knowing that? What kind of powers are these?'

The fight between Kankurou and Tsurugi started shortly after that and ended just as quickly. The puppet user had expertly hidden himself and trapped the man who was trying to trap him. The next set of names elicited a cry of surprise from his teammates and made Shikamaru refocus.

Yamanaka Ino and Yakushi Kabuto.

* * *

In the observation platform the Kazekage only vaguely noticed who was up next. His main focus was on Kankurou. His eldest had surprised him by how far ahead he had planed today out. The boy wasn't stupid but he did tend to slack off and not think things through from time to time. Seeing his eldest show such an advance level of control of the puppet made him proud and made him realize that he needed to be given something that would advance his skills. It also brought back the pang of loss that he held constantly in his heart. For what had to have been close to the millionth time he wished Karura was there with him. He was drawn from his musings by yelling from the proctor. The silver haired young man had quickly knocked the Yamanaka daughter out. The screen then sent two new names up.

Haruno Sakura and Sabaku no Temari.

* * *

Sakura swallowed and looked at her teammates who gave her encouraging nods.

Kakashi spoke, "You'll only be able to win if you can get in close and surprise her. Ranged attacks will be worthless against her."

The girl nodded and made her way to the ground floor. Kabuto had stepped in front of the medics and sent chakra over Ino. The blonde girl sat up and looked around.

Kabuto spoke, "I'm sorry if I hurt you to badly Yamanaka-san."

Ino shook her head, "It's okay. It was a fair match." Turning to Sakura she continued, "Forehead? What are you doing here?"

Sakura spoke, "I'm up next."

Ino looked at the board, "Ah, Naruto's fan. Good luck."

Sakura responded with venom, "That girl is no fan of his! She doesn't care about him what so ever! She was just trying to help that monster of a brother of hers."

Ino was surprised, "Well she didn't turn us in to him in the forest after Shikamaru had trapped them and helped you guys escape."

Sakura's eyebrows rose in shock and she suddenly felt very confused. She watched as Temari stepped onto the ground. Ino and Kabuto quickly left.

* * *

Temari's spinning mind stopped as her name appeared. Kankurou scoffed, "Lucky."

Temari wanted to smile at her brother but couldn't. Instead she felt her mouth harden into a thin line and she felt the desire to take out her frustrations on the girl. The younger girl caused Temari to feel a great deal of annoyance. She jumped down to meet her opponent.

The proctor raised his hand and the match began. Sakura charged quickly at Temari. The older girl stood her fan into the ground and charged right back. When the two reached each other Sakura kicked out her leg. Temari grabbed it and swung the girl hard into the ground. Sakura landed and kicked with her other leg breaking Temari's hold. Sakura then pulled a kunai and tried to cut Temari but the blond grabbed it and punched Sakura in the face. Every chance Sakura had to gain an advantage in the fight Temari countered perfectly. After awhile Temari got in a brutal blow to Sakura's jaw. The shot caused Sakura's head to whip back and it looked much worse than it actually was, but in the stands it caused Naruto to shout out Sakura's name. This caused Temari to growl.

Bending down Temari grabbed Sakura to continue her attack, "What does he see in someone like you? You treat him like crap and don't care about him at all."

Sakura coughed up a little blood, "That's not true! It's not easy to explain, but I don't have to do that to someone like you. You think you're better than me but you're not, because you're just getting close to Naruto for your father and brother."

Temari flinched, "Alright, I can see your point. Just like you it's not easy to explain, but that doesn't mean either of us is right. However another problem I have with you is that you're just a low rent unmotivated kunoichi just concerned with finding a man and completely unconcerned with your skills."

Sakura growled and tried to strike Temari, but the older girl grabbed her arm and then kicked her elbow breaking the arm. Sakura cried out as Temari lifted her by her broken arm.

"Give up or I'll break it worse."

Sakura's eyes were filled with tears but she kicked out and hit Temari's side causing her to drop her. Sakura then tired to attack with her good arm but once again Temari stopped her arm and began to rain down blows on Sakura's face. Temari's anger had gotten the better of her and she began to black out and lose complete control. However she was stopped by Naruto's voice.

"Stop it Temari!"

The girl woke up and realized what had gone on. She was staring down at Sakura whose right eye was closed, forehead had a deep gash, and the left side of her mouth was already beginning to swell.

The proctor made his way over, and checked to see that Sakura had lost conciseness. After quickly naming Temari winner he called for the medics and they carted her off. Temari quickly made her way up to the balcony and once there worked up the courage to try and look at Naruto only to see that he and Sasuke had left the arena to go to the infirmary. Avoiding the surprised looks from her teammates and teacher she tried to think about what had set her off. She only vaguely noticed when the board lit up to reveal the names of the next two opponents.

TenTen and Hyuuga Hinata.

* * *

The Kazekage spoke, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. I don't know what got into Temari. She's normally extremely calm and collected. I've never seen her lose control like that."

The Hokage puffed on his pipe, "Most curious… Perhaps this is just a time where all our young ninjas are struggling to understand themselves and others. These times come around so quickly and with such furor that it catches all by surprise. Ah, to be that young again if only for a day."

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke waited for the doctor to finish his work. When the man was done he spoke.

"She'll be fine. There's no long term damage but she'll be out for a bit."

As the man turned and left Naruto walked to Sakura's bed and stared down at the immobile girl. Seeing her so badly injured stirred so much in the boy's heart. Sasuke stared at the girl for a few moments before speaking.

"She'll get stronger from this. She's smart enough to realize that she has to if she wants to continue on as a ninja. So don't worry too much."

Sasuke then turned and walked back to arena. Once there he rejoined his teacher who was watching the match carefully. Taking his place beside Kakashi he spoke.

"She'll be okay, no long term damage. The dobe is taking it hard."

"He's probably confused about Temari. He seems to have made friends with her, and then this happens. Not to mention the situation with Gaara either."

Sasuke was thoughtful, "Train me."

Kakashi replied, "Alright. We'll leave town to train as soon as I make arrangements for Naruto."

* * *

The fight between Hinata and TenTen was competitive. Hinata was able to use her flexibility, quickness, and Byakugan to keep close and prevent TenTen from throwing her weapons from range or surprising her with hidden weapons. Unfortunately for Hinata since TenTen had trained with Neji she knew the moves from the Hyuuga family's martial art and since Hinata was not yet able to close the chakra points down TenTen was able to take the blows and dodge away. Since TenTen was conditioned by Might Guy himself she was able to wear down Hinata and pin her with several well placed ranged weapons. Finally the better conditioned girl won out, Hinata collapsed from exhaustion.

For the final time the arena was cleared and the board was once again sprung to life though everyone knew that it would be Aburame Shino and Akadou Yoroi. Shino easily won the match. Both had the ability to drain chakra from each other, however Shino's bugs were quickly able to emerge from within his body and keep Yoroi from grabbing hold of his skin and at the same time latch onto the man and drain his chakra. After a short time Shino broke out of his defensive stance and went on the attack. Yoroi, drained by a substantial amount, was slow and unable to steady himself. It was over quickly.

After the round was called everyone who was not in the medical wing assembled in front of the two Kages and watched as a board with brackets was pulled in. The Hokage spoke in a calm tone explaining the final round.

"I would like to congratulate all of you once again. For those of you who did not make it to the final round don't be too discouraged. This was as talented a field as we have ever had. If you didn't make it this time there is an excellent chance that you will be able to pass the next exam. Now for those of you still in the exam know that you can all pass and become chuunin. The final exam shall be just like this round except that if you win your match you shall move on to another opponent. The first round of the finals shall have four matches with one participant sitting out. Then in the next round the fighters will be reseeded and their will be two more matches. After that two of the remaining three will battle, and then the last two. If for some reason two fighters eliminate each other the free man will take his place."

Sasuke spoke, "The free rounds don't seem very sporting. Is who gets them chosen at random?"

The Hokage nodded, "Yes, You will find that it can simulate things very well. There will be occasions when you have to fight a fresh enemy after being exhausted, or fight someone who is wounded and desperate. Of course there is the very real chance that two combatants will remove each other and the person with a bye will have to substitute. You have one month to prepare for this final test. When your name is called you will draw a number. One will fight two and so on with the number nine getting the bye. The first person to draw will be TenTen."

The weapons mistress walked forward and drew the number 6. Next came Shino who drew 7 and Shikamaru who got 2. Then came the sand siblings Gaara drew 3, Kankurou 8, and Temari 5. After that was Sasuke who drew 4 and Naruto who drew 1. Kabuto didn't bother to draw since he was last and had won the bye. So the first round had Naruto fighting Shikamaru, Sasuke and Gaara, Temari and TenTen, and finally Kankurou and Shino.

* * *

The Kazekage sat down at the table in his spacious hotel room. His children and their teacher sat down as well.

The Kazekage spoke, "I'm very pleased with all three of you. Your skills are truly impressive for how young you all are. Now Temari before we begin tell me what you were able to learn about Uzumaki Naruto."

Kankurou and Gaara looked surprised and Temari couldn't look at them as she began her report, "He is twelve years old, blood type B, and his birthday is in October. He graduated six months ago. He failed two times previously. I was able to read information off of his file during the exam; it was taken right after his graduation. He was ranked with a C in ninjutsu, D+ in taijutsu, D in genjutsu, intelligence is D, force was ranked as C, and speed was also C. There were also two things I found interesting in his file. He had an A rank chakra and while his seals were ranked with a D the ones he does know are all advanced for a genin."

The Kazekage's eyebrow rose in shock, "They had that kind of information lying around during the exam?"

Temari shook her head, "It was that guy Kabuto. He had information cards on everyone who had taken the exam before and all the rookies from the leaf."

The Kazekage filed that away making a mental note to mention that to the Hokage. He continued, "What kind of person is he?"

Temari was silent for a moment, "He is a loudmouth. He doesn't care about formalities and doesn't respect anyone based solely on reputation or because of family status. However those that he does respect he will defend to the end. In fact he is extremely loyal to anyone he considers a friend. He is also extremely tenacious, as you saw in his battle. Also he is very kind. I have to say sir… I think he is a good person."

Nodding he continued, "What about his family?"

Temari answered, taking care not to mention the boy's dream about his mother. The more she had thought about it the more she felt terrible about eavesdropping on the boy's secret, and she hated the fact that he had seen fit to tell it to Sakura.

"He is an orphan. He has no knowledge of his family and it doesn't seem that anyone does. He has a small apartment in a poor district of the city. Although it does have an excellent view the Hokage monument."

The Kazekage was thoughtful, "His talents seem to correspond to what is known about the Uzumaki clan. Advance skills with sealing techniques, large stores of chakra, and unique qualities that their chakra posses. I would say that orange red chakra of his would qualify. Although his features don't fit in with what the clan was most likely to look like."

Temari was confused, "The Uzumaki clan? I haven't heard of them before. Were they a Konoha clan?"

The Kazekage shook his head, "No. They were from a small island country, Uzu no Kuni. They did have extremely close diplomatic ties with Hi no Kuni and Konoha. The country was targeted and destroyed because of their unique powers and skills. The clan members were scattered to the four winds and many gave up the name."

Temari asked, "What were the features you mentioned?"

"Their eyes were supposed to be the color of the ocean and their hair was a crimson red. Also their natural life spans were very impressive."

Everyone was silent. Finally the Kazekage continued, "Baki I trust you to make arrangements for your students training, but I will have some input on that now."

The teacher nodded as the Kazekage reached into his robes, "Kankurou this is for you. I trust you to figure out how to use this properly."

The boy's father slid a scroll across the table and the puppet user picked it up, "This is… Kuroari."

"Yes. It also has the manual and schematics for the puppet. You've shown me enough skill to make me think that you can handle two puppets at once. For the exam you should just focus on using Karasu to its fullest extent and then maybe working Kuroari if needed. Baki shall also prepare some info about your opponent. Temari you can work with Baki to improve your wind jutsu. Gaara will return with me to Suna and I shall train him myself there."

The others in the room were all stunned. Gaara quickly recovered however.

"I don't need your training. I will be fine on my own."

The Kazekage responded, "Oh? You got lucky that Rock Lee's body broke down."

"Even if it hadn't I still couldn't lose to someone like him. He can't use genjutsu or taijutsu."

"Well what if you fought someone who could use those?"

"They won't have his skill with taijutsu."

"You're forgetting that your first opponent has the Sharingan and has already stolen part of Rock Lee's style, and he is already faster than you with a month to train."

Gaara was silent before speaking, "Then I will create a new defense that no physical attack can break."

The Kazekage smiled, "Very smart, but you are forgetting something very important."

"What?"

"Hatake Kakashi. He's an extremely talented and experienced ninja and he wants his student to win. He will know your plan and he has a jutsu that could break any barrier made from you sand element."

Gaara stared into his father's eyes, "What is this jutsu?"

"You will have to come with me to find out."

* * *

Naruto shifted nervously as Sakura's parents were doting over their daughter. He was very nervous despite the fact they had barely acknowledged his presence and his teacher and friends were there as well. Motioning Kakashi led everyone out. Reaching the hallway everyone broke up except for Naruto and the three jounin team leaders. The boy stood in front of Kakashi and asked nervously.

"Will you train me for the exam?"

Kakashi shook his head, "I've already been asked by Sasuke."

"Well can't you train both of us?"

"No that wouldn't work. You both will be facing completely different opponents and therefore need two different kinds of training, and you need a lot of work on your basics before I can teach you any jutsus. Don't worry though I've got you a solid teacher who is very technically sound. Meet me at the tower tomorrow morning and I'll introduce you."

Naruto wanted to argue but he held his tongue and agreed before walking away.

* * *

Sakura held in a moan as she shifted in her bed. She was sore all over but she didn't want to upset her parents anymore than they already were. They ignored all her visitors as they left quietly behind them waving goodbye to Sakura.

Sakura's mother spoke, "I thought this was just a test and you come out looking such a fright! At least tell us you passed."

Sakura shook her head, "I didn't make it past the prelims of the last round."

Her mother continued to rant, "What about the girl that did this to you? I thought the sand were our allies."

Sakura shook her head, "We are but… that girl and I have two very different points of views about things and she is a lot more experienced."

Her mother wanted to keep yelling but her father spoke calmly, "Well at least your injuries aren't too serious but your doctor wants you to stay here tonight."

Sakura nodded thankfully and her mother spoke sourly, "How did you lose your hair though? It was so beautiful."

Sakura sighed, "It's a long story but the short of it is that it had to be done. Besides I think it was past time for a change."

* * *

That night a quiet had settled over Konoha. However for many ninja in the city their minds did not share the same peace. Temari was one of those ninja and it was with this storm in her mind she knocked on her father's hotel room door.

"Come in."

Temari opened the door and walked in front of the desk her father was sitting at. Her father motioned for her to take a seat on his bed and he pulled his chair to sit in front of her.

"What can I do you for you Temari?"

"Father… May I ask you a question?"

"You may ask but I may not be able to answer."

"I understand. I wanted to ask about my most recent mission. Why did you want me to spy on Na- Uzu- Naruto?"

The man's eyebrow rose, "Do I need a reason? Do you need justification for your missions?"

Temari shook her head, "No I don't need justification, but… I'm curious why you wanted to know about someone like him…"

The Kazekage was silent for a moment, "No, you wanted to know why I ordered you to find out about him specifically. Do you feel bad for spying on him?"

Temari answered quickly, "No but… I'm worried about how my information might be used. I can usually figure out how a mission will affect the village succeed or fail, but I just don't know how this information can be used in any way but to hurt…"

The Kazekage nodded, "All information is important in our world Temari even if it is never used. I have no intention of using this information to harm the boy and would only consider it if he became an immediate threat to Suna, and since you to seem to be friends and you stated earlier about loyal he was to his friends I don't ever see that being a problem."

Temari nodded feeling a little better. Her father asked, "Is there anything else?"

"No father."

The girl stood and made her way to the door. As she reached for the knob Kanbei called softly, "Your mother would be so proud of you Temari."

The girl smiled at her father and thanked him. When she reached her room she collapsed on her bed and began to cry.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was furious as he stared at his teacher in disbelief. Kakashi stared back in his calm way and it was only making Naruto angrier. The reason the boy was so furious was because again Naruto's request for training had once again been denied. This was after he had been introduced to Ebisu. Naruto had protested and revealed his past with the man to Kakashi who had told Naruto to suck it up. Ebisu left quickly with Naruto in tow to prevent the boy from revealing how the boy had bested him. Once they had left Ebisu managed to convince the boy to give him a chance to prove himself. Naruto had to evade Ebisu for five hours and if he did so then Ebisu would teach the boy a new skill and try to convince Kakashi to teach Naruto. Naruto was just able to evade the man for the time period so Ebisu taught the boy to water walk in a nearby stream. It took a couple of tries but Naruto was able to do it quickly. After the lesson Ebisu asked once more to make sure Naruto would not want to be his student, but the young boy would not relent so Ebisu led Naruto back to speak with Kakashi.

So it was that Ebisu explained the situation to Kakashi. The silver haired man sighed and spoke to Naruto, "I've already told you why I can't train the two of you."

Naruto replied quickly, "Then take me and give Sasuke to Ebisu."

Kakashi shook his head, "I can teach Sasuke more than Ebisu because of the Sharingan and I already promised him."

Naruto replied hotly, "Who are you kidding? You would have picked him even if you hadn't asked."

Kakashi got angry, "You're acting like a brat! If you want me to train you more intensely then you need to grow up."

A crowd of jounin had begun to form around them, "More intensely! The only skill you've shown me is tree walking!"

"I wanted you guys to learn teamwork first! That is far more important than any one jutsu!"

Naruto began to tremble with anger, "How can we build teamwork when you just sit around reading porn all day?"

Kakashi spoke in a harsh voice that Naruto hadn't heard before, "I won't hear anymore of this… Ebisu is who I have picked to be your teacher for the exam if you don't want to learn from him then don't."

"But…"

"Naruto! Go now. Please…"

Naruto stared into his sensei's eyes for a long moment. Finally he turned away and ran from his teacher and the staring crowd of jounin shouting as he did so, "Fine, I'll train by myself and I'll pass the damn exam then I'll become a chuunin and I won't be stuck with a lazy pervert as my teacher!"

Kakashi sighed and felt a great weight press down on his heart, 'Sensei please forgive my failures… I will make it up to him.'

Ebisu coughed, "I'm sorry Kakashi-sempai. I'll keep an eye on him."

Kakashi merely nodded and walked away.

* * *

Naruto ran. He ran from the tower and didn't stop until he was well outside the gate. He blinked back the tears that had been forming in his eyes and feel to his knees rubbing his eyes. He was pulled from his battle with his tears by a smooth voice.

"I didn't think Konoha ninja would cry in public like this."

Naruto looked up to see an older man with pure white hair, with odd kabuki clothes and make up, as well as a head band with the symbol for oil. In his right hand he had a pen and in his left was a familiar orange book. He responded quickly, "I'm not crying! I just got some sweat in my eyes during my run."

The old man smiled, "I see, and what are you doing running so far from the village? Aren't there still training grounds in Konoha?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah but… I'm training for the chuunin exam finals and I wanted to get away from the village so no one can see what I'm working on."

The man's eyebrows shot up, "A gaki like you in the finals? Must have been a weak field."

Naruto growled, "What would you know about it?"

The man chuckled, "I know something about talent kid. I'm fairly well known as a teacher of ninja."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, "You are?"

The man smiled, "Yes, I've trained a very famous student."

"Do you think you could teach me for the finals? I bet I could blow your old student out of the water. I'm going to be Hokage you know."

The man laughed, "Kid I've got better things to do with my time and I've already trained a Hokage. The Yondaime himself in fact, the greatest ninja to ever live."

Naruto's eyes lit up, "You trained the fourth! You have to help me then!"

The man laughed again, "Sorry kid."

As the man began to walk again Naruto went with him, "Please! The guy my teacher got to train me sucks. I gave him the slip a while ago."

The man shook his head, "Sorry, I'm far too busy. I have research to do for my next book. In fact before I get to the village I need to finish going over my last book."

The man raised the orange book and Naruto gave a shout, "That book! You wrote it?"

The man smirked knowingly, "You know about my books? Well you are a little young for them but-"

Naruto cut him off, "You're a pervert."

The man flinched but kept smiling, "No kid I'm a super pervert."

Naruto was surprised that the man admitted it, "What if I help you research could you train me then?"

The man shook his head, "No. Sorry again."

The man began to walk away again and Naruto yelled at him, "Fine, I'll show you along with Kakashi-sensei and everyone else that Uzumaki Naruto is the best genin and that I will be Hokage!"

The white haired man had stopped at the mention of Kakashi but he turned around when the boy said his name, "Did you say Uzumaki Naruto?"

The boy nodded and the old man stared at the boy intently. Naruto began to feel uncomfortable as the man's eyes shifted to his stomach where his seal was, "I'm not the Kyuubi."

The man looked startled but he shook it off, "I know that. Allow me to introduce myself I am the toad sage, Myouboku Mountain's monk, one of the legendary Sannin, and best selling author of the Icha Icha series. I am the gallant Jiraiya! I tell you what kid if you can help with my research I will train you."

Naruto jumped, "You will? You're the best Ero-sennin"

Jiraiya smiled, "I know… Wait Ero-sennin?"

* * *

**AN: There we go. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. For those of you that might question how things went with Ebisu , I will point out that Orochimaru did not place the seal on Naruto and so wasn't hampered by that, and since he almost won the bet in canon with the seal I figured without it it would be no problem. Anyway please read and review.**


	11. Training

**AN: Hello all! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I got a lot of great feed back, and I have replied to all reviews that I can. Thank you.**

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_Uzumaki Mito giggled, "Nicely done Minato-kun."_

_Tsunade shook her head, "Honestly Obaa-san you're acting like Jiraiya."_

_The two women were observing the two young lovers from a window overlooking the Senju family garden. They had watched as Minato pulled Kushina into an embrace and kissed her. _

_Mito continued to chuckle as the two pulled away and then went back again, "Jiraiya-kun knows what he likes Tsunade and isn't afraid of who knows it. I find that an admirable trait and it just so happens that I want Kushina to be happy and that boy can certainly help her with that."_

_Tsunade huffed as she watched the two continue to kiss, "I thought Minato-kun was different but he wants the same thing that all guys want."_

_Mito smiled, "Dan-san to?"_

_Tsunade blushed and Mito laughed, "Don't lie Tsunade-chan. I'm not so old that I don't know what it is the two of you get on doing."_

_Tsunade protested, "Obaa-san!"_

_Mito waved her off, "Your grandfather never arranged a marriage for you for a reason and that was so you could follow your own heart. Don't hide it from view Tsunade-chan." Tsunade nodded and Mito continued, "There is something I must tell you Tsunade. I'm going to die soon and I want you to keep an eye on Kushina for me… at least for a little while."_

_Tsunade was stunned, "What are you saying? You're just fine."_

_Mito shook her head, "You know our clan has extremely long life spans and mine is already close to a record. Besides there is the matter of the Kyuubi."_

_Tsunade was silent for a moment before her eyes shot up, "That is why Kushina was brought here!"_

_Mito nodded,"Originally only myself, the Hokage, and the senior advisors knew about it. When Kushina graduated we told her and now that the time is drawing near we are spreading the secret out a little. Kushina just told Minato and I am telling you. The Hokage is telling your teammates. Kushina is going to teach Minato some of our clan's seals so he can assist her. Then I will teach them the last seals they need to know for containing the Kyuubi. After that I will transfer the Kyuubi and I will die."_

_Tsunade's eyes were gleaming, "Obaa-san… I don't know what to do."_

_Mito pulled her granddaughter into a hug, "Don't cry. You are so strong Tsunade and I have lived a long wonderful life and I have no regrets. Just do as your grandfather and I did. Love your friends, family, and village and no matter what happens always move forward with the faith that your life can lead the way to a better world for yourself and those that will come after you."_

_-Uzumaki Mito and Senju Tsunade on the day of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato's first kiss_

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* * *

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The Sandaime Hokage pushed his chair back from his desk and rubbed his eyes. Looking at the clock on the wall he noticed that it was almost midnight. He slowly prepared to leave by picking up the papers he had been working on and placing them in his drawer and locking it down tight. He grabbed his small orange book and placed it his robes and was about to reach for his hat when he stopped and spoke.

"Jiraiya?"

He heard a chuckle, "Hey old man. You're getting rusty."

The old man shook his head as he looked to see his student sitting on a window beside his desk, "I'm glad you're here. Did you get my message?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Yeah. So Orochimaru is planning an attack?"

The Hokage replied, "Yes. However at least we were well warned about his original plan and we have Suna with us. The only thing that bothers me is how this will make Orochimaru change his plans."

"So you want me to see if my contacts can get any information?"

The Hokage shook his head, "That would be helpful but that isn't why I called you back. I want you to take a look at Uzumaki Naruto's seal, and I would feel much better if you were here when the attack does break out."

Jiraiya got down from the window, closed it, and took a chair in front of the Hokage's desk. He then pulled out a bottle of sake and two glasses. He poured as he spoke and handed one to his teacher and drank from the other, "I don't know how much info my spies can get on such short notice. I've had them focus on something else which I really need to fill you in on. I'll stay and help fight to, and as for the boy I've already agreed to train him but why do you want the boy's seal checked? Have there been problems?"

The Hokage was shocked, "Kakashi already asked you?"

"No. I ran into the kid on my way back in. I thought he was just some genin who was struggling to get used to active duty, but he mentioned Kakashi and being in the exam finals. Anyway long story short he convinced me to train him."

"How did he do that?"

Jiraiya looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head, "He helped me out with my research."

The Hokage shook his head, "Jiraiya… Alright just don't do too much of that with the boy around. Do you know who Kakashi got to teach the boy?"

"Some guy named Ebisu. Kid didn't seem to be impressed with him at all."

"Ebisu is a good ninja but he is rather formal, can be too strict, and he can be overly proud. That is someone who Naruto wouldn't be able to stand for long. Unfortunately Kakashi didn't realize that they had already known each other. Anyway I'll let Ebisu know you're to deal with the boy now."

Jiraiya nodded, "Ah team dynamics… I forgot how much those could suck."

The two men were silent for a moment before the Hokage tried to speak, "Jiraiya I'm sor-"His student cut him off, "It's late we shouldn't waste to much more time. What was wrong with the boy's seal?"

The Hokage stared at his student before pulling out a file, "This is the information we have complied on several instances in which Naruto appeared to use the Kyuubi's chakra."

Jiraiya cracked opened the file while drinking more sake. The Sandaime lit his pipe and waited for Jiraiya to speak, "I don't think there is a major problem with the seal. Not that I understand everything about it. Minato and Kushina made some changes to the seal that was used by Mito-sama and Kushina. I'll go through their notes on the thing though. If it is weakening I have the key to tighten the seal a bit."

The Hokage spoke, "Very well. I'll leave the boy to you then."

Jiraiya nodded, "Before I go could you tell me about the kid? You know, to see what he knows."

The Hokage smiled sadly, "Of course."

* * *

Haruno Sakura trudged up the stairs of the Hokage tower. She had left the hospital at nine that morning and before she got home there was something she wanted to take care of. Following along the dark green corridor once she made it to the seventh floor she came to the jounin lounge and knocked on the door with her non broken arm. After a moment the door opened to reveal a beautiful purple haired kunoichi with a mesh shirt and a long brown trench coat. The woman looked down at Sakura and gave a predatory grin.

"Well if it isn't Kakashi's usually cute student. What can I do for you today?"

Sakura shifted nervously, "Do you know where Kakashi-sensei is?"

Anko shook her head, "No, he took the Uchiha and left the village to go train for the finals."

Sakura looked disappointed, "Oh… Do you know if Naruto went with them?"

Anko shrugged, "Not really. I doubt it. Usually if a teacher has two students in the final round he gets another teacher to train one so that they won't know what the other was working on."

"I see. Sorry to bother you." Sakura turned to leave but then stopped and turned back, "Mitarashi-sensei could I ask you a favor?"

Anko was surprised by the girl using the title, "I'm no teacher kid, but I'll see what I can do."

Sakura looked up at the woman's eyes with earnestness, "Will you give me training?"

Anko reeled and then smiled, "You want me to teach you? May I ask why?"

Sakura looked away, "I'm tired of being dead weight on the team. I don't want Sasuke and Naruto to have to look after me anymore. I want to be able to fight on my own and be able to help them when we fight as a team."

"I get why you want to be stronger, but why me? Why do you want me to teach you?"

Sakura blushed, "I… I was really impressed with how you got and kept everyone's attention during the exam, by how confidante you are, and by how strong you seem."

Anko smiled, "I see. Well I tell you what I'll show you some tricks tomorrow and if things go well I might just teach you a jutsu or two. Meet me in front of here at five in the afternoon."

Sakura smiled and bowed several times, "Thank you so much Mitarashi-sensei. You won't regret this."

Anko chuckled and was about to respond when she suddenly jumped and quickly pulled her coat tight around her body hiding her mesh. Sakura turned to look in the direction that Anko had been looking and saw a tired looking Might Gai. Sakura was stunned when Anko spoke in an extremely polite and feminine tone.

"Good morning Gai-san. I hope you are having a wonderful day."

The man perked up and laughed heartily, "Ah, if it isn't two lovely flowers shining with youth! I wish I could say that I am well Anko-chan, but my heart is heavy. The doctors tell me they are running out of ways to help my Lee, and that he might not ever be able to be a ninja again."

Sakura's hand shot to her mouth, "Gai-sensei, would they let me in to see him? I want to give him some flowers."

The man smiled, "That would be wonder! A most youthful idea! They will let you in as he is allowed visitors. May I ask what you two beauties are doing here today?"

Anko smiled sadly with her eyes tearing up slightly, "Oh, Sakura-chan and I were looking for Kakashi-kun, but we can't seem to find him. I'm a little worried."

Gai closed his eyes and raised his fist, "Kakashi… your hip attitude is causing these flowers to wilt with worry. I'm sorry ladies but Kakashi left the village to train one of his students for the exam, but you needn't worry about him he is not in any danger."

Anko clasped his hands together and beamed at the man, "Oh, thank you so much Gai-san. I worry about that man so much. He isn't as happy and as well adjusted as you Gai-san. I wish he could be more like you."

Gai beamed, "You're to kind Anko-chan. I'm sorry but I have to go train Tenten for the finals, but if you get tired of waiting for Kakashi I'll be there to offer you a kind shoulder. Sakura-chan, Lee would love a visit from you."

He gave them his nice guy pose and left quickly. Sakura turned and gave Anko an odd stare. The woman grinned, "I like Gai. He's the most naïve person I've ever met, but he is a great ninja and a great person. So I like to humor him and let him think that there are still woman like that in the world. If he realized how many women preferred Kakashi's attitude to his I don't know if he could handle it. Also it's funny."

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto looked at Jiraiya intently waiting for the man to say something. The man had knocked on his door at seven in the morning and tossed the boy's mattress on the floor telling him to get ready. Naruto grumbled and went to his bathroom. After he took a shower and brushed his teeth the boy exited the bathroom and grabbed some clothes. He noticed that Jiraiya was making cup ramen for the two of them. Naruto had taken his chair and Jiraiya had asked him to tell him about all the people in the finals and what their skills were. So Naruto had done so and he had even explained his desire to face Gaara.

Jiraiya had been silent since the boy ended his story and finally he broke his silence, "I see. Well I can help you win but for that to happen you have to be willing to do what I say when I say no complaining at all understood?"

Naruto nodded, "You got it Ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya shook his head and sighed, "Alright. Now first thing's first." He unhooked the scroll that he carried on his back and unrolled it onto the table, "Sign your name and place your hand print on this scroll using your blood like you see the other names here."

Naruto did as he was told stopping only a brief second to see the name of the person before him. Seeing the hand print of the Namikaze person Naruto did the same. Jiraiya nodded and rolled the scroll up.

"Very good. What this is is a summoning contract. Now that your name is on it you can summon the toads like me and they will help you in all sorts of ways."

Naruto looked confused, "How can frogs be useful?"

Jiraiya yelled, "Toads not frogs, and they are very useful creatures. Some are small and can infiltrate areas and give you plans and layouts or eavesdrop. Some use earth or water jutsu or know how to use weapons. Some are giants bigger than the Hokage tower, and there are some with powers you haven't even dreamed of kid. The point is they are very useful. Besides all that do you think that Aburame kid will want to fight you even if you could only even summon a toad the size of a dog?"

Naruto was thoughtful, "Okay. Sounds pretty cool. What do I need to do?"

Jiraiya showed Naruto the seals needed, "Do these and with a hand that has your blood on it and slam it into the ground and say Kuchiyose no Jutsu then release your chakra. Now the drawback to this is that you need a lot of chakra to use it so you will have to draw on the Kyuubi's power. Do you know how you did it?"

Naruto made the kind of motion with his that signaled he only halfway knew, "I was really angry every time I've done it so far, but I remember what it felt like using the chakra and how it came to me."

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright, try to summon with as much of your chakra as you can muster."

Naruto bit his thumb and went through his seals, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A small reddish brown toad wearing a dark navy blue jacket appeared before Naruto and Jiraiya. It looked around and raised its hand in greeting after seeing the two humans looking down at it, "Hullo, I'm Gamakichi! Why did you summon me here Jiraiya-sama?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "I didn't the kid here did. His name's Naruto and he just signed the contract."

Naruto waved at the small toad and it went on, "Oh I see. You look like you're young like me. I'm still learning moves and stuff so I can't help you fight much, but I can deliver messages or help you summon my father the great Gamabunta!"

Jiraiya shook his head, "Naruto needs to summon Bunta on his own the first time but thanks for the offer. There is one task you can help me do though, and that is to illustrate a final bit of information about the summoning technique." Jiraiya reached into his pocket and pulled out a small round piece of candy. He spoke to Naruto, "After you summon someone and get them to do their job they will want an offering." He tossed the candy into the little toad's mouth, "The kids all love candy, but the boss likes sake. The others will tell you what they want. If you don't keep up with their offerings they won't help you when the time comes. You can go now Gamakichi." The frog popped the candy into his mouth and vanished away. Jiraiya stood and walked out the door motioning for Naruto to follow him.

* * *

Gaara sat down across from his father. The man's burgundy hair spiked up when the man had removed his hat with the symbol for wind. The Kage cracked open a small ration pack and began to eat while the ten ANBU around the two watched for any sign of trouble. Gaara had left with his father at five in the morning and had been traveling at full speed for the five hours since. Their group stopped for a rest and to have quick field rations for breakfast.

Gaara spoke in his calm voice, "What jutsu will Hatake teach Uchiha?"

The Kazekage looked into his son's eyes, "Do you know about elemental jutsu Gaara?"

The boy nodded and his father continued, "Good. Well as you know some elements are stronger against others. Your sand is not an element since you don't create it. You merely are able to pull it in. So your sand armor has no elemental chakra channeled into it for added protection." The man reached into his pack and pulled out a strip of paper and handed it to Gaara, "Channel your chakra into this please."

Gaara did as he was told and was surprised to see the paper fall apart. The Kazekage nodded, "You are a primary earth elemental user. This means that you could add the element to your sand armor and give yourself added protection against certain elements, but because it is the earth element it doesn't help you against Hatake's attack."

Gaara patience was waning, "Why is that?"

The Kazekage smiled, "Because the jutsu that the boy is being taught is a lighting based attack and as you know earth is weak against lighting. I'll explain more when we get back. We need to get a move on. I hate to leave the council on their own for to long and these trips are making me do so."

Gaara was about to argue but the Kazekage jumped up and began running toward Suna with his ANBU close behind. Gaara stood and began to follow after.

* * *

In a dark basement lit only by a few small candles six figures sat side by side waiting staring at a sitting cushion in front of themselves. Suddenly they noticed a shadow moving out from the darkness and taking its place on the last pillow. The pale white figure smiled smoothly out at them.

"What is it that you would like to discuss with me honored councilors?"

A young woman with dirty brown hair spoke, "Orochimaru-sama we have just gotten word back from one of _our_ jounin that your sound team didn't even make it out of the forest of death. You gave us your word that your ninja were well above being able to pass the Chunnin Exam."

Orochimaru's face remained frozen in mirth, "Ah but they were not beaten by any genin. They were captured by ANBU."

A short man with a shaved head responded, "That makes it worse! Who knows how much they talked."

Orochimaru shook his head, "They didn't know anything. Just that they were to kill the Uchiha. I hadn't planned on them actually doing it in the original plan, or at least if they did do it not having them do anything too useful afterwards. Anyway I was truthful; it took far more than mere genin being able to stop them. Besides we all know that isn't the real reason you called me here. Tell me what is bothering you?"

A second man with green hair and face pant spoke in a wheezing voice, "We have learned that the Kazekage is returning here with the demon. Supposedly to train the thing for the finals."

A third man spoke, he was gray at the temples but orange every where else on his head, "We already know he suspects us for giving that emissary you sent clearance to be here. If he suspects us of further collusion then he may be bringing the boy here to kill us, and simply claim it was the boy losing control."

A second woman spoke, her hair was a pale white and flowed to her back, "What we need Orochimaru-sama is a strong assurance that you will actually be able to succeed in killing the Kazekage and his monster when the time comes. We are taking a big risk by sending our loyal ninjas to your invasion force, because if it fails and that man or his demon returns they will destroy us and our families. We will have no means to protect ourselves."

The final man spoke. His green hair bringing out his dark black eyes, "We are the only six who will actively support this operation. Six more will only join us if we can kill the Kazekage. Those damn old conservatives distrust the man, but are willing to let him be free with his actions for the most part even though he is moving us forward in the wrong direction. Ten firmly support the man. Most are new men from young families, none from great clans. The final two Chiyo and Ebizou don't care one way or another."

Orochimaru chuckled, "I see your problem. Only some of the conservatives will support your actions some of the time on any given situation. Well have no fear because the Yondaime Kazekage made a huge mistake by ruining my plans to surprise the Sandaime Hokage. He and all his children will die, and for added assurance why don't one of you leave with me that way they can make sure that my plans and actions don't place much danger on you all?"

The six looked at each other before the man with gray orange hair nodded, "My plan to get my family out of danger in the event of a civil war was to have them vacation at the gulf during the attack. I had them go ahead with the excuse that I had some paper work to finish before I went with them. You all can tell everyone here that I've left to be with them.

The other five nodded. The man with green hair spoke, "Very well, your words have strengthened us Orochimaru-sama. We will deliver on the ninja we promised."

The other five left leaving Orochimaru and the final council member. The man stood slowly, "I'm ready when you are Orochimaru-sama."

The white snake slowly stood and smiled at the man for a moment before chuckling, "I'll leave shortly. I did forget to tell you all one thing about my genin team though."

The man's eyebrows rose, "Oh? What was it?"

Orochimaru responded, "They were meant to be sacrificed for a jutsu I wanted to use on my sensei. Using it requires me to sacrifice ninja. However, thanks to the Kazekage not giving me Sand's full support I can't spare any men to replace them. The only person I can afford to use is someone I haven't planned to be in on my attack. Yes… you will be much better used in that task."

Orochimaru formed seals and watched with mirth as the man began to back away. The orange haired man tried to flee but was stopped by a shadow arm surrounded in purple pulling him into a coffin. As the man began to scream the door slammed shut and Orochimaru continued to think out loud, "The only question that remains is who I bring back. I wanted to harm sensei but if I can' have both teachers it doesn't seem as poetic. I would love to use a Yondaime to kill a Yondaime, but Kanbei wouldn't suffer at all, because Minato would kill the man too quickly. I'll just have to ponder that for a while."

As the man slinked from the room the candles went out.

* * *

Naruto collapsed to the ground exhausted. He and Jiraiya were in a large isolated training ground in an open field with tall green grass. Jiraiya had watched as the boy created as many clones as he could and ordered them to fight each other. As the fight progressed Jiraiya would comment on the boy's form and skill with taijutsu offering tips. Now that Naruto was exhausted Jiraiya instructed the boy to try and get the Kyuubi to give him chakra. Naruto did as he had done when Neji had closed him off from his chakra. Jiraiya watched with pure fascination as Naruto concentrated. After several minutes and nothing happening Jiraiya tapped the boy's shoulder. Nothing happened. Jiraiya began to poke the boy's shoulder. Finally Naruto's eyebrows began to twitch and the boy let out a frustrated growl which caused Jiraiya to jump with surprise.

"That damn fox! It says it won't give me the level of power I need just for training. He says my life has to be in serious danger or I should be fighting before it would give me power."

Jiraiya was silent for several moments before speaking to Naruto very seriously, "Did you mean it when you said that you would do anything to win this exam?"

The boy stared very seriously into the older man's eyes, "Of course. I don't give up or back down. It's my nindo."

Jiraiya smiled, "Alright. Well we've been at this for a while. Let's go take a break for a bit."

Naruto wanted to protest but held his tongue and followed after the toad sage.

* * *

Temari closed her fan with a smile on her face. Her morning exercise had given her something to distract her spinning mind. She had found a clearing in the deep forest just outside of Konoha's city walls. She walked to a long log that she had cut down with her practice and took a seat on it. She examined her fan for any damage carefully. The tessen had belonged to her mother and it was Temari's most precious possession. She had gotten up when her father and youngest brother had left, and she had been training ever since. The training had kept her reasonably clear headed, but still Naruto had been on her mind. The conversation with her father relieved some of her worry and guilt about spying on the boy, but the situation with Gaara was a thousand times worse than anything having to do with her information gathering. Naruto had expressed to her his desire to help with Gaara before she had revealed Gaara's secret to him. After he had learned the truth Temari hoped that the boy would let it go but then Gaara had targeted the boy anyway. Temari knew what would happen if Naruto progressed enough to face Gaara. Naruto would be destroyed the same as everyone else who had tried to fight Gaara. Temari had decided that she would convince the boy to withdraw and ask the Hokage for protection until Gaara had left for home. Reasoning that the boy would probably be eating lunch at this time she made her way to the boy's favorite ramen stand.

* * *

Naruto growled, "What was the big idea leaving me with the check!"

Jiraiya laughed, "I'm training you and I thought I deserved a little payment for that."

"I'm the student though! The teacher should treat the student."

Jiraiya shook his head, "Yeah well that's not going to happen. Besides I paid for you to get into the hot spring."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head, "You got a discount for buying two tickets, and you just wanted to look at girls."

Jiraiya shrugged, "We were there anyway."

Naruto scoffed, "What does this have to do with training?"

Jiraiya replied, "The bath was to refresh your mind and body. Your favorite food was to fortify your strength. Now tell me, is there a girl you like?"

Naruto was surprised at the question. He had been trying not to think about Sakura. In the forest when he thought he had lost her, and when Temari had injured her Naruto had felt like his heart was going to freeze. Not to mention that what her father had said to him still weighed on his mind despite his attempts to force the conversation from his mind he had begun to think that maybe the man had a point. When Naruto had learned about the Kyuubi he had realized why people had treated him the way they did, but he hadn't really thought about what it meant for his future. The idea that he might cause harm to anyone by being with them hurt him more than being alone, and he couldn't even begin to fathom what bringing a child into the world with even a part of his stigma would mean to him.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind Naruto spoke in a soft tone that surprised Jiraiya, "Not really. No."

Jiraiya blinked, "Ah, I see. You're gay."

Naruto exploded, "I'm not gay! I just don't want Saku-…"

Jiraiya nodded as the boy trailed off, "So there is a girl. What's the problem? Did you guys have a fight?"

Naruto shook his head, "No. It's really complicated. Why is this important?"

Jiraiya spoke, "Well it's meant to strengthen your heart. If you could get a hug or a kiss from a girl you like…"

Naruto shook his head, "If I tried to kiss her Sakura would beat me for being fresh, besides she got hurt during the exam and I'm sure she's not in the mood to see me."

Jiraiya stared as the boy looked down at his feet, "Then you should at least see her and wish her well before we start again." Naruto looked like he was about to protest but Jiraiya held up a hand, "I tell you what. I have some errands to do. I'll see you at that place we were in two hours. So you can see your girl or not. The choice is up to you."

Naruto nodded and Jiraiya shushined away. Naruto stood still in the alley struggling with what to do in his head before he nodded to himself and made his way to Sakura's house.

* * *

Temari sat down at the stall and ordered a medium bowl of miso ramen. Ayame smiled at the girl while her father cooked and walked over to speak to her.

"How are you today Temari-san?"

"I'm fine, just busy training for the finals."

"Oh! You made it as well? Congratulations. Naruto was in here earlier taking a break from his training."

Temari frowned slightly, "Ah… that's too bad. I was hoping to speak with him."

Ayame smiled, "Don't worry he'll be back eventually."

Temari chuckled, "I guess so."

* * *

Naruto nervously waited for someone to answer the Haruno's door. After he had arrived there he had waited five minutes before he had worked up enough gumption to actually knock on the door. His hopes that Sakura would answer were smashed when Sakura's mother Mei answered the door. The woman looked down and gave the boy a weak smile.

"Hello Uzumaki-san. What can I do for you today?"

Naruto fidgeted, "Well… I'm in the finals and I'm going to have to train pretty much non stop. So before I started I just wanted to talk to Sakura and make sure she was feeling okay."

Mei's smile warmed a little, "I see. Well she seems to be fine considering she went over to Ino's a little while ago."

Naruto's spirits dropped as he thought about having to try and speak with Sakura while Ino was watching them like a hawk with a telescope and tape recorder. He thanked the woman and made his way to the flower shop passing reasonably close to Ichiraku Ramen. It just so happened that Temari saw the boy as he began to speedily run. Cursing as she quickly stopped and began to follow curiously after the boy. Neither of the two noticed that Jiraiya was following Naruto.

Temari closed on Naruto and called out to him. The boy stopped on a roof and turned to see the older girl land beside him on the roof.

Temari spoke in a serious tone, "I need to speak with you."

Naruto nodded, "Okay. I can't be to long though. I have something I have to do before I get back to training."

Temari was silent for a moment before speaking, "You have to withdraw from the exam."

Naruto laughed, "That's a good one. What do you really want to talk to me about?"

Temari kept her face steady, "I told you that you need to withdraw."

Naruto's face fell into a blank mask, "Why?"

"Because if you don't Gaara will kill you."

Naruto chuckled, "He'll try to kill me anyway."

Temari responded quickly, "Yeah but you can get the Hokage to protect you."

"I'm not going to bother the Jiji with this. I know what I'm doing Temari. Don't worry."

"You have no idea what Gaara is capable of! You saw his automatic defense and the control he has over the sand, but you don't know what happens when he calls on the demon's power. The sand covers him and he looks like a smaller version of the demon, and if he induces himself into a sleep the demon takes full control and he goes on a rampage. Not even to mention that he grows to the size of the Hokage tower!"

Naruto shook his head, "I think Gaara will want to fight me one on one and not rely on the demon."

Temari scoffed, "How could you possible know that, and even if you're right what happens if you beat him and he loses it and the demon takes over."

Naruto shrugged, "I've got a trick or two up my sleeve. Besides if the demon takes over I'm pretty sure Jiji would have something in place to deal with that."

Temari was caught off guard by the insight Naruto had just had. Her father had to have warned Konoha about Gaara and the Hokage would obviously have a plan to deal with him. However she would not be deterred. Temari spoke and her voice sounded with pure despair.

"Naruto if you fight him you will die."

Naruto smiled, "I'm not dying until I become Hokage so don't worry. I promise you I'll beat Gaara and make him see reason."

Temari shook her head, "I don't want your stupid promises. I don't want your ridiculous act. I don't want you making pronouncements about becoming Hokage, because you can't do that if you die!" At this point Temari was drained because Naruto either didn't notice or didn't care how much she needed him to not face Gaara. So Temari said something to hurt Naruto because it felt like he was hurting her.

"Oh who am I kidding? There's no way such a stupid loudmouth like you could ever be Hokage. So go ahead and try to stand up to Gaara and he'll smash you like the weak ninja you are."

Temari looked into Naruto's eyes hoping to see the boy get angry. To see that he was as mad at her as she was at him, but to her surprise he merely smiled and spoke in a sad tone.

"If you think you're the first person or even the first of my friends to insult my ambition you're wrong. If there's nothing else I need to get going."

Naruto turned and once again made his way to the Yamanaka Flower shop. Temari brought her hands to her head and gripped her hair for a moment fighting to keep her emotions in check. After a moment of composing herself Temari went in the same direction as Naruto but made sure that the boy wouldn't notice her.

* * *

Jiraiya emerged from his hiding spot on a near by ledge and made some notes in a book.

"So that's the Suna princess, and it looks like she can fight from range. I'll have to thank her for telling me about her brother's power. I'll also have to make sure Naruto is prepared to deal with the boy's demon powers."

Putting his notebook up he made his way after the pair.

* * *

Sakura waited for Ino to wrap the arrangement of flowers up. She was planning on taking them to Lee and then going to meet up with Anko later. Shikamaru and Chouji had been there as well. Chouji was going to pick up flowers that his mother had ordered and Shikamaru was there simply to tag along with Chouji and slack off from training more. Ino was in fine form chatting with Sakura, working on pruning, and nagging Shikamaru for being lazy and Chouji for encouraging him. They all looked as the bell over the door rang to see who had entered the store. There stood Naruto looking fairly worn.

The blonde spoke to Shikamaru, "You ready to lose in the first round?"

Shikamaru smirked, "If I could get away with it I'd withdraw right now, but my mom and Ino would never let me hear the end it."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. He waved at Chouji and Ino and walked over to the counter as Ino handed Sakura her bouquet. Naruto questioned, "Who are the flowers for?"

Sakura smiled, "Lee-san. He got some really bad news about his treatment and I'm going to take these to him and cheer him up. What are you doing here?"

Ino rested her head in her hand and gave Naruto a piercing stare that unnerved the boy. Naruto swallowed, "I was looking for you actually. Do you think we could talk? In private."

Sakura nodded and blushed slightly and handed the flowers back to Ino. Promising to be right back Sakura led Naruto outside. After the door closed Ino ran to the door and pressed her ear to the wall.

Naruto shifted nervously, "I'll have to go talk to Bushy Brow later."

Sakura nodded, "Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei left town to train. What are you doing?"

Naruto shrugged, "I've learnt a new jutsu but I still have to work on it some… How are you doing? Are your injuries doing okay?"

Sakura smiled, "Yeah I'll be as good as new in a week or so. What about you? What are you doing for your training?"

Naruto's face reddened, "I… Can you help me get ready for the Chuunin exam Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled, "Sure what do I need to do?"

Naruto thought about hugging Sakura or even stealing a kiss. Part of him said that the beat down that she would put on him would be worth it, but there was also a voice in the back of his head. This voice questioned why he should even bother trying to start anything with Sakura. He hadn't even tried to answer the questions that her father had asked him. He was afraid too.

"Could you make sure I get up in time for the finals?"

Sakura's eyebrows rose. That was obviously not what the boy had wanted to ask her. "I can. Is that all you needed me to help with?"

Naruto shifted nervously, "I need to get back to training. Tell Bushy Brow I'll be by to see him later."

As Naruto turned to leave he cursed himself for his cowardice. Sakura watched Naruto leave with a frown on her face which quickly changed to a snarl as she noticed Temari step from around the corner.

"What do you want? Or did you spy enough for today?"

Temari bowed her head, "I'm not here to spy. I want to apologize for the way I lost my composure during out match, and for some of the things I said. I've trained my whole life knowing what is required of me as a kunoichi, but I only knew what was required because of my family. I know you do not have that resource. I was too harsh in my judgment. Forgive me."

Sakura was surprised and she let up the dark look on her face, "I can look past the beating and I'll admit my reasons for being a ninja weren't all good ones, but one is a very good reason. I love my home, family, and friends and I want to protect them. That's why I can't forgive you for helping your brother hurt Naruto!"

Jiraiya had watched Naruto crash and burn with Sakura and he was about to leave when he noticed the look the pink haired girl gave Temari. So he watched their interaction with great interest taking notes on their dialogue with the idea he might use it for a scene in a book.

'I see. The boy likes pinkey but she just sees him as a friend. The princess seems to care about him and he has no clue. Hell she might not know. I wonder just how deep everyone's feelings are in relation to each other.'

Unfortunately for Jiraiya his time was up and he needed to get back to Naruto.

Temari was silent for just a moment before she responded to Sakura's outburst, "You don't understand. I want to save Naruto from my brother that's why I need to see Nara Shikamaru. Could you help me find him?"

Sakura was surprised, "He's… he's inside…"

Temari was stunned but she ran to the door pulling up only to have Ino fall flat on her face in front of her.

The girl looked up and laughed nervously. Shikamaru looked out from inside the store and sighed heavily.

"Troublesome."

* * *

Naruto looked up as Jiraiya appeared before him. His face was set deep in thought.

Jiraiya spoke, "It doesn't look like your final task went to well."

Naruto shook his head, "It went fine. Sakura-chan is doing well.

Jiraiya didn't respond for a moment, "Alright. If you are ready to continue?"

Naruto nodded with fire in his eyes, "I am."

Jiraiya nodded and walked to stand in front of the ravine. He motioned for Naruto to stand with him and the boy did so.

"Now the only way you'll be able to do this stage of the training is if you summon Gamabunta, the toad boss, so don't hold any chakra back."

Naruto replied, "I understand."

Jiraiya smiled, "Good." The white haired man then quickly kicked Naruto into the ravine.

Naruto yelled as he fell and Jiraiya prayed silently to Minato and Kushina to forgive him.

The Yamanaka Flower shop was in stunned silence. Temari was staring into Shikamaru's eyes watching as the lazy genius processed the information she had just revealed to everyone. The information was the truth about Gaara, his power, and past.

Temari finally broke his silence, "I trust you know how important this information is to Suna and what it means for me to tell all of you. I did it to help Naruto."

Everyone nodded and Ino wiped some tears from her eyes. Sakura questioned quietly, "Did you tell him this?"

Temari laughed humorlessly, "Of course. He doesn't seem to care."

Sakura growled, "That Idiot! I'm going to strangle him."

Temari shook his head, "I've already tried to convince him to drop out. Can you beat him Nara?"

Shikamaru nodded, "It's certainly possible for me to win, but it's in no way a certainty. Naruto can absorb a lot of punishment and it isn't easy for me to dish it out. Not to mention that he has way more chakra than I do. I'm defiantly smarter than him, but he is way too unpredictable to effectively plan for. Then there is the fact that I don't know what he'll be training in. I'll do all that I can to take him out though."

Temari nodded, "Weaken him as much as you can, because If I get him in the second round I'll do the same."

* * *

_Three days later_

Neji walked slowly beside Tenten and Lee in the hospital's garden. Lee was still very depressed because there was no sign that anything could be done to help him, but a visit from Sakura and his teammates had lifted his spirits a little. Neji was very glad for this, because while he never said anything he cared very deeply for his teammates. Also Neji knew what it was to be depressed and lonely. He remembered what he had felt like when his father died, and how much it would have meant to him for someone to offer comfort. In fact he was offered the greatest comfort for his father's death only a few days ago. His uncle had given him a letter from his father and since then Neji felt a great weight left from his shoulders.

It was at that point the students of Might Gai were drawn from there walk by a yelling, "I can't believe that I was out for three days. I only have twenty five days left!"

Naruto streaked out down the path from the main entrance of the hospital. Lee's voice stopped him as he passed by the three.

Naruto turned and smiled at the three of them, "Hey Bushy Brow, Weapons Girl, Neji. Bushy Brow don't give up because you'll get better. I would stay longer but I've got to get a move on if I want to be ready for the exam. Bye!"

Tenten looked at Neji and shrugged. Lee smiled and spoke softly, "It seems Naruto is having a youthful day."

Neji chuckled and thought to himself. 'While I am beginning to question the true nature of fate I do know that some things will never change."

Naruto had tracked Jiraiya down to the hot springs, blown the man's hiding spot, gotten him beaten, and then got the man ready to teach him more.

Jiraiya spoke, "Alright Bunta has acknowledged you, but don't forgot to exchange cups with him or he will be picky about helping you. Now we have a few more things to do before you will be able to win this thing."

Jiraiya opened a scroll and unsealed a small bag. He then removed several smaller scrolls as well as some water balloons and rubber balls.

Naruto looked questionably at Jiraiya and the man smiled, "Are you ready to get to work?"

Naruto set his face in a hard line and replied, "I'm ready."

* * *

**AN: Here is the chapter. It is mostly filler and I'm not all that happy with it, but it was a lot of filler and it had to be done. Please read and review. Also if you want me to even try and answer your reviews don't do it anon or disable people being able to reply to you. Anyway please enjoy.**


	12. Final Round

**AN: Hello I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as they enjoyed the last one. Please read and review.**

* * *

_I can't even begin to describe what happened today… I'm in a haze. All the fear and horror that was floating around in my mind and heart is just… gone. I'm trembling as I write this. There is so much I need to do for tonight but I don't feel any pressure to do any of it. I guess this is what miracles feel like. My heart won't stop pounding. I've never felt like my life has had so many possibilities. I don't have the time to really explain anything right now, and I won't until tomorrow. I think the party tonight will last pretty late and there is no way I'll have enough energy to write more tonight. All I can say to even try and explain is that Gaara…is different, and Uzumaki Naruto is… once again I'm at a lost for words._

_~Entry in the Diary of Sabaku No Temari_

* * *

_One week before the Chuunin Exam._

Gaara stood on the crest of a dune focusing his chakra trying to infuse it with his Doton element. However he had been practicing for almost six hours and he was at his limit. It didn't help matters that his father had been instructing him. The anger and hate Gaara felt toward the man made it difficult for him to focus, but his father just stood there watching and actually helping him with his training. It made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn't point out.

Both father and son were drawn from the training by a man with black hair wearing a turban. Gaara recognized the newest member of Suna's council Yuura. The man had only been on the council for about a year. His family was mostly civilian merchant stock but he was a third son and had shown skill when young so he had become a ninja. Gaara wasn't sure if he should kill him in the same way he planned to kill those that had been on the council when they decided to make him.

The man approached the Kazekage and bowed low. The Kazekage spoke, "Yuura. It's good to see you. Are you well?"

The man rose and nodded, "I'm fine sir. I have some news that I feel I should share with you about our six 'friends.'"

The Kazekage's eyes suddenly hardened, "I see. Do tell."

"I was visiting my eldest sister at Houseki. While there I noticed that Shiba-san's family had taken up residence there for a long vacation. I inquired where Shiba was and they said that he was busy with some paper work and wouldn't be joining them for some time. When I returned I asked the other five where he was but they claimed he left to join his family…three weeks ago."

"I see."

"Should I continue to inquire about him?"

"No. That would just let them know exactly how much I distrust and suspect them. Keep an eye on them. We will be leaving in a few days so if something happens with them use a scroll I will give you later this evening to let me know immediately what is going on. Then I want you to go to our messenger hawks and send the phrase 'koukai' to all of the border bases."

Yuura nodded, "Yes Kazekage-sama."

The man turned and left. The Kazekage watched the retreating figure in silence until Gaara questioned, "Why don't you just kill them if you distrust them so much?"

"Because they may not be guilty."

"What does that matter? They threaten you do they not?"

"I am the symbol for law and order in this village. I can not throw the laws aside or else everyone else would do so and then I would be in constant danger. Sometimes the only way to escape a trap is to let it spring and then evade."

Gaara stared at his father with fire in his eyes and his father stared back. Finally the Kazekage spoke sadly, "I'm sorry for many things I've done in this life Gaara, but the thing I regret most of all is turning you over to Yashamaru. His weakness has corrupted all that you could have been."

Gaara growled at his father and they were both lucky that it wasn't a full moon or Gaara may have attacked with all of his power, "He showed me the truth of this world! That one can only trust and love themselves!"

The Kazekage turned and began to leave, "Fool. The man wanted you dead. He wanted to hurt you the way he hurt. Why would he do anything but try to hurt you in any way he could?"

Gaara answered, "So you and the council didn't want me dead? You didn't try and kill me countless times since then? My mother didn't hate me and this village and die praying for me to destroy it?"

The Kazekage turned and Gaara saw nothing but rage and hurt and the man's eyes, "Yashamaru acted on his own that first night. After that you become extremely erratic to say the least. All the other attempts since then were authorized by either the council or myself, but none of them were actually expected to succeed. They were merely to test you, but that is not to say that there wasn't anyone hoping they would actually work. As for your mother… All of the Ichibi's hosts have been able to control the sand, but do you know that you are the only one that has the sand protect him automatically? That is because that no matter how mad the Ichibi made your mother when you were being brought into this world there is still some part of her mind that remains uncorrupted, and that part is protecting you because she loved you. We leave tomorrow at eleven in the morning."

The Kazekage turned and walked back to the village. Gaara watched the man's retreating form as his mind spun in anger and thought.

* * *

_Two days before the exam. _

Anko smiled as Sakura collapsed on the ground in front of her, "Not bad. You really need more chakra though. That jutsu isn't nearly as effective if you don't put more chakra into it a most all you have is a smokescreen that also serves as a moderately powerful teargas, and make sure you don't have teammates around when you use it. I have to say I've been impressed with how much work you put into this training."

Sakura was slowly catching her breath, "Thanks Anko-sensei. I've just been worried about things and I don't know what to do so I've been working as hard as I can to take my mind off things…"

Anko sat down beside the girl, "What's causing you to worry that pretty little head of yours?"

Sakura spoke quietly, "I'm scared for Sasuke and Naruto. We found out that Gaara has this demon inside of him and that he's completely mad. To make things worse Sasuke doesn't know and has to fight him in the first round, and Naruto does know and doesn't care. He wants to fight Gaara… he's going to get himself killed and to make matters worse I can't find him to beat this stupid idea out of his head!"

Anko smiled, "It wouldn't work. Boys are stupid, men are stupid, and hell every male ever has been stupid. Now how did you find out about the demon?"

"Temari-san told us. She wanted to make sure that Shikamaru could beat Naruto… she seems to be really worried about him."

Anko smirked, "Jealous?"

Sakura blushed, "Of course not! I just… I just… she makes me feel horrible. I was never a good person to Naruto and I didn't think his feelings for me were anything more than just some childish crush or maybe part of his rivalry with Sasuke. But then I heard him really express how he felt and I was truly touched. I want to be a better friend and I want to figure out a way that lets him down and hurts him the least, because I know what it's like to have people wrongly discount your feelings as being childish."

Anko whistled, "Wow that's rough. I can't help you with that shit, cause I ain't so good with relationship crap, but Kurenai-chan could help you out with that. Hopefully I can put some of your worries to rest about Gaara. The Kazekage informed us of his condition when the team arrived and he has helped us set up some counter measures incase shit goes down."

Sakura nodded and gave a small smile, "Thank you Anko-sensei."

Anko smiled at the girl.

* * *

It was a bright sunny day with a healthy spread of white fluffy clouds. It wasn't to hot or cold. It was the kind of day that Shikamaru loved to sit out in the open and watch clouds on his favorite rooftop. However he knew that he had something far more important to do. He had to save his friend's life. Shikamaru was beginning to wonder where the boy was though. All of the combatants had shown up but Sasuke and Naruto. The genin were supposed to be there at eight and the matches would begin at nine. It was 8:55 when Naruto showed up gasping for air after oversleeping. The boy showed no signs of distress or worry other than wondering where his teammate was. At 9:05 the order came down from the Hokage to begin the final preparations for the matches. As Shikamaru took his place in front of the proctor he noticed Naruto and Gaara staring at one another. Even for someone as smart as himself Shikamaru knew that he couldn't know what it was between them, though he did have suspicions, and no where near enough data.

Finally Naruto took his place opposite the Nara. He spoke with a smile, "You decide whether or not to give up right away or let me beat you up a little?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Sorry to tell you this Naruto but that troublesome sand woman told us about Gaara and your crazy idea of how to deal with him. Since I can't sit by and let a friend get crushed to death I'm going to have to eliminate you. Then I can just quit before my next match."

Naruto looked surprised but then smiled, "Well this won't make things as easy as I was planning on but I can still get things done."

Seeing the fire in Naruto's eyes Shikamaru could only think of one thing to say, "Troublesome."

* * *

Temari looked downed from the balcony that the waiting competitors were assigned to. She had held out hope that Naruto took her advice and decided to pull out, but those hopes had been dashed. To make matters worse Naruto hadn't even acknowledged her when he had shown up. Temari had been more than willing to make the boy hate her as long as he went on living but now that he was surely about to die she couldn't bear the thought that he would die hating her. She was pulled from her thoughts as she saw Uchiha Sasuke arrive in the box, and Temari hoped that maybe the boy would find some way to beat Gaara and save Naruto if she or Shikamaru were unable to do so.

* * *

Sakura fidgeted in worry for Naruto's match getting ready to start and for the fact that Sasuke had not shown up. Ino placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and gave the girl a smile.

"Don't worry forehead everything's going to work out just fine. Shika will take care of the loudmouth and Sasuke will show up and everything will work out."

"Your blonde friend is right things will work out one way or another."

The two girls turned to see Anko arrive with Kurenai and her two remaining students. Ino and Sakura greeted them and made some space. Kurenai spoke to Sakura, "Anko told me she gave you some tutoring. How was that?"

Sakura smiled, "It was hard but helpful."

Ino looked surprised, "You got extra training from Anko-sensei?"

Sakura nodded and Ino turned to Anko, "Teach me some to please? I can't let Sakura get too far ahead of me."

Anko was surprised but then grinned deviously and replied, "I think something could be worked out."

A new voice cut across them, "That look can't mean anything good."

The group turned to see Kakashi, Asuma, and Chouji making there way to the bleachers. Anko smirked at Kakashi, "I'm hurt you'd say that Kakashi. Especially since you skipped out of town while you owed me some dango."

Kakashi's eye showed his grimace, "Forgive my rudeness Anko-chan."

Sakura spoke up, "Kakashi-sensei! Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Kakashi took a seat near his student and Anko, "He's already with the other competitors. We got back to town at nine."

Asuma smirked as he took a seat by Kurenai, "I'm surprised you weren't later."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, "Well we would have been if I had let Sasuke train later than he did yesterday and have him recover, but I wanted to make sure we were here in time for Naruto's match. We had a little argument before I left and I wanted to be here to see how his match went and show him support."

Sakura spoke, "Kakashi-sensei it's important Naruto loses and Sasuke not fight Gaa-"

Kakashi held up his hand, "I know the whole thing from Asuma. He heard it from Shikamaru. All I'll say on this is that no action will be taken to stop either Naruto or Sasuke from progressing in this exam by me or any of the staff. We are ninja and we must be tested and grow through life threatening combat. Neither Naruto or Sasuke fear this aspect of our lifestyle and I will not discount their resolve to lay their lives on the line for their dreams."

Sakura was surprised at the firm tone and seriousness that her teacher displayed in that moment. All around the teacher and student were quiet until Anko purred, "Mmmm… I love serious Kakashi. Want to go have a quickie?"

All of the genin blushed profusely while Asuma laughed and Kurenai hung her head in embarrassment. Kakashi laughed nervously, "Ah… Look the match is getting ready to start."

All eyes turned to see the proctor drop his arm and the match begin.

* * *

Naruto thought back to what Jiraiya had told him about the Nara family and their jutsu.

"_You'll have an extreme advantage in terms of both stamina and chakra. So you could conceivably create a thousand shadow clones and just charge him all at once. However that will cost you a lot of chakra, and there is a chance he might get lucky and catch the real you and take you out. What you should do is create about seven or eight and surround him with equal distance between all your clones and him. He won't be able to target that many at once and while he is focused on one or two the others can try to wear him down. Don't get close unless you have to or he is out of chakra. Also know that he is smarter than you. Hell he's probably smarter than me. So don't get to repetitive with your tactics or if you do trick him don't try and repeat the strategy, any pattern and he will use it against you."_

Naruto formed his seal and seven Kage Bushin joined him. They quickly took a position surrounding Shikamaru.

The Nara boy made no move but he was on high alert. Suddenly the Naruto closest between Shikamaru and the forest surrounding the dirt pit threw several kunai. Shikamaru dodged quickly but as he did so the other Narutos moved with him keeping the same amount of distance. Eventually Shikamaru ended up in the direct center of the arena still surrounded.

Shikamaru thought to himself, 'who ever taught Naruto for the exam knows a lot about my family and our jutsu. Since he's trying to keep distance between me and his clones I will just have to take them out one at a time and annoy him until he gets frustrated and tries to charge me.'

Shikamaru drew a kunai, singled out a Naruto on his right side, and sent his shadow to ensnare his target. All of the Naruto jumped back and tried to examine what the boy's shadow was doing. This moment of hesitation would cost the target. Since none were sure who was being targeted they weren't able to counter attack in time to help the clone who was caught by Shikamaru. The Nara threw his kunai exactly as the Naruto was caught in his shadow.

By that time four of the Naruto drew and threw shuriken at Shikamaru. The shadow user noticed this and figured that he wouldn't have much trouble dodging the stars but then he noticed the hand signs that the blonds were going through.

"**Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"**

Shikamaru blanched as the shuriken quickly multiplied and he was forced to hastily replan all of his movements. He was able to dodge a fair amount of the shuriken but several found their marks in the boy's left shoulder and right hip.

* * *

In the stands Asuma jumped in surprise at Naruto's new jutsu, "Wow! That's considered an A-rank jutsu and he used it perfectly."

Kakashi responded thoughtfully, "It complements his style well and since Shikamaru doesn't have a strong jutsu that can serve as a defense and not very much speed it is even more effective."

Shikamaru grunted and pulled the one shuriken from his body that wasn't a shadow clone. They all cut like they were real though. Even though he destroyed one clone that thought didn't make his wounds feel much better. The Naruto closed their ranks around him to make up for the loss of the one clone.

Standing slowly Shikamaru pulled two kunai from his pouch slowly shifted his injured parts. None of the shuriken had pierced too deeply into his body so he wasn't too hampered by his injuries. He waited for Naruto and his clones to make the next move.

He didn't wait long as three of the clones drew kunai and the remaining four drew shuriken. The seven blonds charged and those with the shuriken threw and repeated the multiplying jutsu. Shikamaru was able to dodge the various shuriken by zigzagging and working his way to a Naruto. All the blonds would shift to keep him surrounded when he made a move so Shikamaru never ran out of space and was able to run over the entire dirt arena.

Shikamaru was getting frustrated though. The Narutos that had the kunai had yet to attack and just shifted with his movements.

'I can't tell if he is just using those kunai to distract me or if he actually has a plan for them. I'll just have to suck it up and force his hand. I don't have the chakra to dodge him all day, and all of the clones back off to quickly when I start to use my shadow so I can't use them to extend my shadow's range and ensnare others .'

Nodding his head he quickly turned and made a run at the closest Naruto with a kunai. As the others shifted to follow his movements the target threw his kunai and flew threw some hand signs.

"**Kunai Kage Bushin no Jutsu"**

Cursing Shikamaru rolled to one side and threw one of his kunai in response and smirked as it found its target and the clone dispersed. That left six Narutos to deal with.

* * *

The Hokage watched on in silent surprise. He was impressed with the two new jutsu that Naruto had revealed.

The Kazekage spoke, "Two A-rank jutsu in addition to his Kage Bushin, it seems that Uzumaki-san is just full of surprises."

The Hokage nodded, "Indeed, though if I were him I'd be very careful. He hasn't changed his approach and Shikamaru can figure out a counter to his patterns."

* * *

Shikamaru was about to draw another kunai when once again one of his opponents used the kunai jutsu. Dodging the second Shikamaru finished his draw in time to see a third kunai bushin fly at him. He hadn't had a chance to regain much of his balance after the previous dodge so he was only able to just clear the attack as the kunai landed in front of him. As he was about to charge once more he heard a hiss and saw a small spark. He looked down and cursed silently as the explosive tag attached to the real kunai exploded.

One of the Narutos cheered but he was quickly silenced as he was hit with a kunai that flew from the black cloud that had appeared after the explosion.

Inside the cloud Shikamaru waited for Naruto and his clones to charge after him. He extended his shadow all around him so that they would be just outside of their range but inside Shikamaru's. He was quickly alerted as one of the clones reached his shadow and he threw his last kunai and hit the target to see it dispel. He felt his shadow disrupt as a powerful blow hit his injured shoulder. As he was about to ensnare his attacker another blow struck him right in the back. Growling because they were so close he didn't have time to use his shadow to hold them in place instead he pulled an exploding tag and threw it on the ground and jumped away as the explosion went off.

He was hit by some of the force and landed funny on his injured leg, but he smiled as he heard the sound of clones dispersing. He watched as the smoke began to disperse and began to look for Naruto. A flash of orange at the corner of his eye caused him to turn and see Naruto throwing a fuma shuriken at him. Shikamaru fell onto his back and watched as the large shuriken flew just over his nose into the surrounding forest. As it passed over head Naruto jumped onto him with a drawn kunai and brought it down in front of Shikamaru's face.

Naruto smirked, "Give up?"

Shikamaru surprised Naruto with a smile, "No. I'm impressed with how you played things. You took it way slower than I ever expected you to. You wore me out. I'm almost completely out of charka.

Naruto frowned, "Than why won't you give up?"

Shikamaru slowly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it to reveal a large seal and slammed it onto his chest. Naruto let out a cry, "That seal!"

This caused Shikamaru to let a look of surprise cross his face, "You know what this seal is?"

Naruto replied, "Not exactly but I can tell it is has a large area of effect, but it needs multiple corresponding seals for it to work."

Shikamaru nodded, "That's pretty good. This seal is called the **Jinkourai Nohara**. It creates a paralyzing electric shock. Anyone who is caught in it will be paralyzed for a set amount of time. I've set this one for about twenty minutes."

Naruto spoke with an edge to his voice, "But you don't have any of the smaller seals to channel the energy to."

Shikamaru smirked, "Actually I placed them while you were chasing me all around the field. You were so focused on watching my feet and shadow you didn't really pay much attention to a hand touching the ground every now and then."

Naruto frowned, "This seems like it was way too troublesome for you."

Shikamaru looked Naruto in the eye, "It isn't as troublesome as watching a friend throw his life away. Just give up and we won't have to get our asses shocked and our friends won't have to watch you get crushed."

Naruto stared into Shikamaru's eyes for a moment before giving the black haired boy a deep true smile. Shikamaru's smirk dropped into a stunned expression. Naruto quickly reached out, placed his hand on the seal, and spoke as he channeled his chakra into the seal, "Arigatou Shikamaru."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the shock light up the dirt ring. His body seized up in pain but he was still able to focus enough to see Naruto pop out of existence. After a moment the electricity stopped and Shikamaru was able to turn his head enough to see Naruto emerge from the surrounding forest.

Shikamaru coughed, "You held one of your clones back from the charge into the smoke and then henged yourself into that fuma shuriken and had the clone throw you. You're just too damned unpredictable."

Naruto smiled, "Well you are pretty damn lazy. The match isn't over yet and you're just lying down."

Shikamaru shook his head before he turned his head to the proctor, "I give up. I'm done."

Genma raised his hand and arm and declared, "Nara Shikamaru can not continue. Uzumaki Naruto is the winner!"

As the medics rushed onto the field and carted him off Shikamaru watched as Naruto waved to the cheering crowd and he smiled to himself, 'It will probably be really troublesome but I want to see what things will be like with him as Hokage. Please don't die Naruto.'

* * *

In the stands Kakashi spoke to Asuma in a low tone, "Shikamaru is ready."

Asuma nodded, "He knew it would be hard to win outright because of the match up, and he had a back up plan the whole fight. If Naruto had been able to hit him with the fuma shuriken trick Shikamaru would have been able to take him out as well. If only I could motivate him like this more often."

They were drawn from their conversation by the arrival of Gai, Neji, and Lee. The group all greeted the trio and Anko adjusted her coat for Gai's sake. The pair took a seat by Kakashi.

* * *

Naruto climbed up the stairs to the observation platform where the remaining contestants were waiting. A group of chuunin was cleaning up the debris and trying to flatten the field out as much as they could so Gaara and Sasuke were still waiting. All the genin but Gaara nodded to Naruto as he walked over to them. Gaara and Naruto merely stared at the others eyes for a brief moment until Naruto's attention was drawn away by Kabuto.

"Nicely played Naruto-kun. Showing two A-rank jutsu in addition to your Kage Bushin, and you used them in a very nicely coordinated way. If you can do that again in your next match up you will probably gain enough points for a promotion."

All the genin turned and stared at the silver haired young man. Sasuke questioned, "What do you mean? There is another round after the next."

Kabuto smiled, "Don't you all know? It is possible to be promoted even if you don't win the tournament. If you show a combination of jutsus and various traits that they value in chuunin during your matches they take that, and your performance in the previous tests into consideration."

Naruto questioned, "What traits?"

Kabuto responded, "Knowledge, planning, leadership, problem solving, and other things like that. Also in some cases knowing when to quit."

Kankurou yelled, "What do you mean?"

Kabuto looked thoughtful, "Think of it this way. Say you have gone all out and used every jutsu you can think of only for your opponent to be not any worse for wear. Now imagine that you are a squad leader and your group is completely out matched or out numbered. You might fail your mission but if you decide to withdraw your squad lives to fight again."

Shino spoke, "The rules state that the mission is paramount."

Kabuto nodded, "True. However there are exceptions. If there is absolute no chance of the mission being accomplished because of faulty intelligence or because of an unforeseen occurrence a chuunin is allowed some slack. Like if a client lies about your opposition and the mission is actually a much higher rank. But you have to remember this is not a mission, this is a test and just because you don't win doesn't mean you fail."

Everyone was silent until Genma called for Gaara and Sasuke to fight. Gaara cast a glance at Naruto before he disappeared in a swirl of sand. Sasuke was about to jump down when Naruto spoke.

"If you can't win give up."

Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes, "From the sound of your voice it almost sounds like you don't want me to win.

Naruto smirked, "Don't get me wrong. I know it sounds crazy but I want to fight the two of you and I can't do that if one of you ends up dead."

Sasuke smile, "I get it. I want to fight you to and that's why I don't want to lose in this match."

As Sasuke jumped down Naruto smiled at his teammate. Temari stared at the blonde for a moment before she noticed Tenten beside her shaking her head. She gave the brunette a questioning look but the girl merely smiled and spoke.

"Boys."

* * *

In the stands the genin watched as Sasuke fought using the skills he had copied from Lee, and Gaara as he formed his **Suna Bushin **and his **Suna no Mayu** to try and repel Sasuke's attacks. When Gaara formed his cocoon and Sasuke found that his attacks couldn't breech the shell he withdrew and quickly formed a series of handseals and charged his chakra. His hand was quickly surrounded by the white blue sparks of his sensei's signature move and the air was filled with the sound of chirping birds.

In the stands Gai exclaimed, "Kakashi! What on earth are you thinking? Teaching that jutsu to Sasuke-kun! There is no way he is ready for it yet."

Sakura questioned, "What is it?"

Gai explained, "It is a move that Kakashi created. It is called Chidori or Raikiri. It is said that the move can be used to cut through anything. Kakashi once used it to cut through a bolt of lighting. It was designed to be used as an assassination technique."

Anko and the three jounin looked at Kakashi for his response. The man spoke, "You're the last person I expect to criticize me about teaching young students dangerous jutsu Gai. I've warned him about how draining it is and I've told him that he should only use it as a last resort. He needed an attack strong enough to penetrate Gaara's defense which I correctly predicted he would improve after Lee-kun revealed its weakness."

Kakashi patted the injured boy on the head and spoke kindly, "Thank you for that by the way Lee-kun. When you get better I'll teach you a taijutsu move that even Gai doesn't know and I'll set up a spar with Sasuke if you want."

* * *

Sasuke charged at the sphere that Gaara had encased himself in. Once there he dodged the spikes that protruded from the ball and plunged his hands into the ball. He smiled to himself as he felt very little resistance, but that quickly fell from his face as didn't feel a hit on his target. He pulled his hand from the sphere while the last of the Chidori's chakra dissolved away. Suddenly he felt something grab at his right ankle.

Looking down he saw a trail of sand wrapped around his ankle. He quickly tried to jump back but the sand clamped down and broke his ankle. As he landed with a wince Sasuke was unprepared for Gaara rising from the ground from behind him and punching him in the back of the head. As he flew forward Sasuke was able to turn in the air and land on his good foot.

"**Doton: Ganseki Dekisui Mika!"**

Suddenly Sasuke was engulfed by a large stone structure rising around his feet. Once he got over his shock he quickly began to try and find a way out. He couldn't jump to the very top because of his ankle and the stone had sharp spikes lining the walls so he couldn't climb out. Before he could think of something else he noticed sand beginning to fall in from the opening.

Gaara allowed a slight smirk to grace his features as he began to drop his sand into the large stone jar he had created to trap the Uchiha. He had devised the plan to slow the Uchiha down and then trap him in something that he wouldn't be able to get out of with his new lighting jutsu. Now it was just a matter of time before the boy would pass out from the lack of oxygen. Gaara didn't care if Sasuke died or not. However he had promised Naruto that he would save his hate for him, but he hadn't promised that he would take much care to make sure he wouldn't kill anyone at all.

Suddenly Gaara heard the familiar sound of chirping birds and saw Sasuke appear beside him with a Chidori aimed at his heart. Gaara reacted as quickly as he could to dodge the Uchiha's thrust. Gaara was able to prevent the move from piercing him but he watched as small lighting bolts flew from the end of Sasuke's hand and burned his clothes and the flesh on his stomach.

At that point Sasuke stumbled onto his knees and feel on his hands breathing heavily. Gaara's sand slammed into him and he went skidding backward. Before Gaara could make another move Sasuke called out.

"I surrender."

Gaara took a moment to look at Sasuke. The boy's eyes no longer had the Sharingan and he let out raged breaths trying to stand up. The proctor raised his hand and declared.

"Uchiha Sasuke has surrendered Sabaku no Gaara is the winner."

* * *

In the stands Ino and Sakura were shocked that Sasuke had given up. They turned to the jounin to try and figure out what had happened.

Kakashi explained, "Sasuke only had enough chakra to use chidori twice and the move can only be used for a limited amount of time. Sasuke used most of his time to cut those spikes up and then a whole in the side Gaara wasn't on. Add that with the fact that he couldn't move with full speed because of his ankle and he just didn't have time to get Gaara. Now he can't even use the Sharingan. He only had two shots to win if Gaara had come up with a way to hold his ground with his new speed. Not only did he figure that out he some how knew about the chidori."

* * *

As medics came and escorted Sasuke off the field Gaara examined his wound. There was a large hole in the front of his shirt that covered his belly. His seal faded as his chakra leveled out but he was entranced by the small amount of blood that remained and the small burns that were quickly healing. He had never been injured like that before and in his mind he was trying to figure out how he felt. He felt the tell tale sign of his adrenaline leaving him. It left him with a stinging sensation and suddenly he felt anger at what had happened. Shukakau was screaming for him to chase Sasuke down and get his blood, but Gaara merely shook his head. He had given his word to Uzumaki that all his anger would be saved for him. Gaara had never given his word before and for some reason he could not explain he did not desire to be known as an oath breaker.

* * *

Temari watched Naruto as he stared down at the field. The boy had been completely absorbed in every move of the match. He showed no fear during the course of the match. Instead all he had shown was curiosity. She was drawn away from the boy as Gaara returned.

Her youngest brother stared at Naruto from the entrance before returning to the edge of the balcony. Temari wondered what had passed between the two boys at that moment. Before she could dwell any longer she was pulled away by the proctor calling for herself and Tenten.

The two girls quickly jumped down and faced each other. Tenten began to limber up while Temari drew her fan.

The blonde spoke softly, "Before we start I just want you to know that I'm impressed with you. You seem like you're serious about being a kunoichi. Unlike so many of the girls our age you aren't worried about boys."

Tenten smiled, "Thank you. But you shouldn't be too hard on those girls that are. They'll figure it out sooner or later, and if they don't they'll die and they will deserve some pity and respect. Besides I think we both know it's not just the younger ones that worry about boys, they just let it slow them down."

Temari raised her eyebrow as she was little confused, "What do you mean?"

Tenten smiled a little larger but didn't say anything. _'She doesn't realize it yet. She probably hasn't noticed that she's spent all day staring at Naruto.'_

* * *

In the Kages' box the two men watched as Tenten's weapon attack proved useless against Temari's fan.

The Kazekage spoke, "I'm impressed with the girl's aim. It's almost effortless and I also am impressed with the large variety of weapons she seem capable of using so well."

The Hokage nodded, "It's a shame she drew a match against your daughter. The match up is almost completely in her favor."

* * *

The old man's words proved true as Temari was able to quickly beat Tenten. As the proctor called the match the brunette winced as she tried to stand. Temari reached a hand down to help the girl up.

Tenten took it and spoke to the girl as she stood, "I want a rematch some time. I'll be working on my taijutsu until then."

Temari smirked, "All right, but don't think that'll change the outcome of this match."

Tenten smiled and waved to the crowd as she hobbled to the waiting medics.

* * *

In the stands Gai frowned, "I should have had her work on taijutsu more. She might have been able to get close and take her out."

Kakashi patted Gai's shoulder, "Only if she had been able to remove the girl's fan and even then it wouldn't have been easy. I have a feeling that her sensei might have given her something for close combat. Also your team benefits most from her being able to provide ranged support since everyone else is a close quarters expert."

Gai nodded, "Thank you Kakashi. You are a true friend."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, "I'm glad you think so Gai. I hope you remember that when you pay up on our bet."

Gai's face became hard, "Oh… I had forgotten."

Lee and Neji looked up at their teacher and he grimaced, "Once you become a jounin to build a report with your fellows it is important you engage in these kinds of activities… even if they are extremely unyouthful."

Lee questioned, "What must you do Gai-sensei?"

Gai grimaced, "I… I… I have to write a book report for the entire Icha Icha series and hand out copies to all of my fellow jounin."

Everyone laughed at Gai except for Lee who questioned, "Why is that a bad thing sensei?"

Gai looked extremely uncomfortable at having to answer but he was saved as Kankurou and Shino were starting their match.

* * *

The match was slow. Shino and Kankurou matched the other move for move. Neither man was able to land any kind of substantial hit. Shino was unable to land many of his bugs on the puppet user and so couldn't get much chakra. Meanwhile Kankurou was unable to fool the Aburame with any of Karasu's hidden weapons. This stalemate continued for several minutes before things changed. Shino took initiative and instead of choosing to slowly weaken Kankurou bit by bit he charged in to beat the boy in close range combat.

As Shino charged Kankurou sent Karasu in to meet him. Shino dodged quickly and as he did so he released a fair amount of his bugs which began to feed at the points where Kankurou's chakra strings connected to his puppet. Shino heard the puppet fall apart as he closed the distance and reached Kankurou. He attacked the older boy quickly and Kankurou made no move to counterattack, instead he merely dodged and blocked. Finally Shino saw a hole in Kankurou's defense and was able to grapple the older boy before slamming him to the ground.

Shino felt a bit of satisfaction as he watched Kankurou hit the ground with a thud but this feeling faded as he heard the older boy chuckle. Suddenly Shino caught sight of a single chakra thread attached to Kankurou's left thumb. Shino jumped to the side quickly but he felt a sharp blade slice into his arm. As he landed and placed a hand on his wound Kankurou stood and sent more chakra threads to his puppet and watched as it reformed.

The Suna-nin spoke, "You fought well kid but you're done. This blade was tipped in a strong poison. It's fatal but slow so the sooner you surrender the easier they'll be able to cure you. I can also give them the antidote in the off chance they don't know it."

Shino said nothing but merely tried to charge Kankurou again however he quickly fell to the ground and struggled as he tried to rise. Kankurou spoke again, "Yeah, forgot to mention but the first thing the poison does is cause paralysis."

Shino tried to keep his head raised but in the end it dropped to the ground with Shino merely saying, "I surrender."

The proctor quickly raised his hand and declared the winner. The medics quickly stormed the field and Kankurou reached out with a vile and was about to hand it to the medics. He was stopped by a deep voice.

"Thank you, but that won't be needed." Kankurou turned to see an older looking man that resembled his opponent.

The older man continued, "I can use my bugs to clear the poison from my son's system, and depending on the strength and type of the poison we can even develop immunity."

Kankurou was stunned as the older man escorted the medics and his injured son out.

* * *

In the stands Kurenai had a sad smile on her face, "He had done so well. Maybe I should give him some poisons to build more resistance to them." She turned to the other jounin, "How do you think he will do?"

Asuma shrugged, "I'm not sure. He was good but I just don't know if he has everything he needs."

Gai smiled, "I think he is ready. It was not an easy match up for Shino-kun but he fought well and when he realized that his plan couldn't work he did not fear trying a new tactic to try and seize victory."

Kakashi covered his Sharingan, "I think he passes. Fighting a puppet user is extremely dangerous because one always has to watch out for a trick from both the puppet and ninja. Shino had no real problems dodging the traps until the last one, and Kankurou showed control well beyond genin level to be able to manipulate that blade with one finger. Not to mention the body slam. If Shino had been trying to kill Kankurou the boy wouldn't have been able to allow himself to be thrown to the grown and use that time to obtain the blade. Also Kankurou lost a lot of chakra."

* * *

The arena was drawn from their conversations by the voice of the Hokage coming from a speaker system, "The first round is now over we shall now reseed the combatants. The Kazekage and I will take turns drawing the combatants. Also before we begin Kankurou has had to withdraw because he lost a great deal of chakra."

The Hokage lowered his hand into the box and pulled out Temari's name. In the balcony Temari held her breath praying that she would get her chance to prevent Naruto from facing her brother. She watched as it seemed her father slowly inched his hand into the box and pulled out the slip of paper that read Uzumaki Naruto. Temari silently released her breath as the board lit up proclaiming her match first with Kabuto and Gaara's second. She still had one chance to talk Naruto out of his mad goal.

Naruto began to walk down the stairs to the field and Temari quickly followed after but she was stopped by Gaara's voice, "Give up. Let him advance."

Temari's heart was pounding as she surprised herself with her quick response, "No."

Gaara's eyes betrayed his own shock, "I'll kill you."

Temari steeled herself, "You're going to do that anyway. Besides if he is as worthy a target as you believe he'll beat me and you'll still fight him."

Gaara gave her an odd look, "Why do you do this? It hastens the end to your existence."

Temari spoke quickly and then dashed to follow after Naruto, "If it keeps you from committing your first real murder and killing someone who has never done anything to harm you I'll face that decision because whatever else you are my brother."

Gaara felt something stir in his chest straining against the command of his mother to kill the girl immediately. The stiring sensation easily won out.

* * *

The group of jounin and students waiting for the next round to start were surprised to be joined by Shikamaru, Sasuke, Tenten, and Shino arriving from the medical rooms. All four were hobbled by some form of injury."

As the group made room for their arriving friends Ino questioned Shikamaru, "How could you let Naruto outsmart you?"

Shikamaru shook his head and spoke in a soft tone, "He didn't outsmart me. He was just better than me today. He wanted it more."

Ino snorted, "Don't make excuses. You should have stopped him. It looks like this is a job only a woman can handle."

Shikamaru spoke in a firm tone that surprised those around him, "No. She won't be able to stop him from facing Gaara. When I fought him I felt something as he fought against me. I can't explain it but there was something about him that told me that he had to do it and nothing would stop him from succeeding… even if it means his death."

The group was silent for a moment before Hinata spoke in a tight voice, "W-What c-could it be that drives Naruto-kun like this?"

Kakashi was the one that answered but all of the genin would find the simple answer lacking, "The Will of Fire."

* * *

Naruto stopped on his way down as Temari caught up with him. The older blond gripped his shoulder, "Withdraw now. Gaara won't be able to come after you since we will be leaving after the exam."

Naruto responded, "I can't do that Temari. If you want to stop me from advancing you'll have to beat me."

Temari felt the familiar anger and worry boil up in her stomach, "You are a stubborn fool! Why can't you listen to reason?"

Naruto reacted as if he hadn't heard her, "Temari you don't have to worry about me. I'll show Gaara another way to live and he'll want to take it. Trust me on this. He knows what kind of life he will have if he continues on the way he is now and he wants something different. I prom-"

Temari snarled tears threatening to fall from her eyes, "I told you earlier that I don't want your promises. We aren't friends so don't do this for me. The only reason I was even talking with you is because my father wanted information about you."

Temari turned and ran to the field before the stunned Naruto could respond.

* * *

_Miles away_

Orochimaru smiled to himself as he watched his Oto-nin file into the camp his forces had set up the night before. They were organizing into their squads for the assault and receiving their missions. He was drawn from his musing by the arrival of one of his sound four, Sakon.

The silver haired young man bowed, "Orochimaru-sama. Word from Suna has come. Their forces shall be here at sundown. Also they were able to place a few of their ANBU members into the squads the Kazekage brought with him."

The serpent smiled and chuckled, "Those fools have still proven useful despite the fact that they were not able to deliver me the Kazekage. Perhaps I shall keep them around for a bit longer than I had originally planned."

* * *

The match between Naruto and Temari had begun with the girl fully unfolding her fan and summoning a gale that threw the boy into the forest. As he landed roughly beside a tree Naruto thought back to what Jiraiya had told him.

"_That princess from Suna is very dangerous. You mentioned that she was a long range fighter and I'm willing to bet that that fan she carries allows her to focus her chakra into it. It probably makes it easier for her to focus her element into her chakra which is probably wind. Now you're lucky that she probably doesn't have the control needed to make the wind to sharp but you will get cut and bruised so be ready. You will have to get close quickly and either take the fan or just keep her from being able to swing and channel her chakra. Also you'll need to be wary about being hit with it directly as it is probably made of steel and is seal weighted."_

Naruto formed a seal and summoned four clones. Three charged out from the forest as the fourth grabbed Naruto and threw him into the air. As Temari targeted the three that had charged from the forest Naruto summoned a new clone in the air which threw him at Temari. The girl noticed at the last second and was able to dodge the blow that Naruto had aim for her head but he was still able to land a hit into her right shoulder. As Temari recovered from the blow the clones had closed in and started to attack the girl. Temari was able to dodge most of their blows but she was taking some hits. Eventually she noticed that Naruto was trying to knock the fan from her hands so she lured her opponents in.

When they closed in Temari whirled her fan far quicker than she had before and was able to destroy the four clones and found the real Naruto directly in her sights. Raising her fan above her head she brought it down like a hammer. She was shocked however when it felt as they her weapon had recoiled off steel. The force of the ricochet made her have to raise the fan above her head and it threw her off balance. She noticed that Naruto's hair had grown much longer and covered the upper half of his body. She was shocked even further when several golden hairs as sharp as needles flew from his head and pierced her arms and legs which caused her to drop her weapon. Before Temari could react Naruto's hair returned to normal and he snatched her fan with a victorious smile on his face.

* * *

In the stands Kakashi and Asuma were stunned. Kurenai noticed this and questioned, "What jutsu was that? Have you seen it before?"

Asuma spoke, "That's **Hari Jizou **and **Hari Jigoku**. The first causes your hair to grow, harden, and act as a shield. The shorter your hair the more chakra you have to use to make it grow. The second turns the hardened hair into painful projectiles."

Kakashi continued, "They are also very old moves that have fallen out of favor along with long hair for men. Of course now that kunoichi are more prominent maybe they could make a come back. I wonder where Naruto learned it. It was old when the Sandaime was young and I can't remember seeing anyone use it much less know someone who uses it."

On the field Temari felt the needles fade and fall from her wounds. Blood dripped slowly from her legs and she brought her arms into her body as they too trickled blood.

Naruto spoke, "I've got your fan Temari."

The girl growled, "Only until I take it back from you. **Kaze no Hishu.**"

Temari pushed through the screaming pain in her arms and legs and closed on Naruto with a speed she was surprised to have. She plunged her wind dagger into Naruto's left side. The boy was able to react and luckily for him dodge before the dagger got too deep. Trying to injure him more Temari slashed her dagger across his body but the most she did was cut a deep gash through the boy's shirt and jacket and scratch him lightly across the chest. Naruto landed several feet away from the girl and Temari fell to her knees as her dagger dispersed.

Wincing with blood coming from his side Naruto pulled out a tag from one of his pouches and placed it on the black metal of the fan, "Then I guess I should just go ahead and destroy it."

Panic showed on Temari's face and she cried out, "Please don't!" Naruto hesitated and waited for the girl to explain, "That fan belonged to my mother. It had been in her family for years."

Naruto spoke softly, "Then withdraw. I don't want to destroy something so precious to you."

Temari flushed in embarrassment and anger. The boy's naïveté and honor shamed her. Fighting her desire to withdraw with her mother's treasure intact Temari made up her mind and stood shakily surprising the blonde boy.

"I can't do that. If I surrendered for a tool at the cost of a good man… and a friend's life my mother would never forgive me and I could never live with the dishonor."

Naruto spoke softly, "I thought I wasn't your friend?"

Temari's eyes flashed once more with hurt and shame, "I'm sorry I said that. I was just angry that you wouldn't listen to me. You're a much better friend than I deserve because my father asked me to get to know you and that is the only reason I originally approached you. So please don't do this just for our friendship. I already feel like I've taken advantage of your kind heart and nature."

Naruto smiled sadly, "I did think it was weird how you first approached me, but regardless of why I truly consider you to be my friend even now. Also I'm sorry about making you feel like this, but even more so I'm sorry for not being clear why I'm doing this. I do want to give you your brother back and relieve that burden that you carry in your heart, but I also want to do this for Gaara and… myself. Not because we're friends but because I know at least in part of what he is going through and I'd like to think someone would try to save me if I was in a similar situation, and I want to believe that it is possible to let go of at least some of that kind of hate that Gaara bears."

Temari was in a stunned silence. She knew that the boy could be far deeper than anyone suspected but the emotion that his soft voice had carried left her reeling and she couldn't begin to explain what it did to her. The boy surprised her further though. He removed the explosive tag and threw the girl her fan with a bright smile that Temari knew was somehow different from the ones he usually showed the world.

"I know that you said that you don't want my promises, but I ask that you accept this one. I won't die, Gaara will change his view for the better, and you will be happy. If it comes between this promise and any others I've made I would choose to keep this one before all the others. This is my promise of a lifetime."

Feeling her heart pounding in her chest Temari was about to respond before a bright flash and loud bang stole her vision and hearing. Naruto dashed close to her and delivered a hard blow to her neck knocking her unconscious.

As the proctor declared Naruto the winner his friends in the stands were discussing his victory.

* * *

Chouji questioned, "When did he put that tag on the fan? I didn't see him place it when he removed the other one."

It was Sasuke who answered an amused smirk, "He put it on the side facing him when he placed the explosive tag. He was never going to destroy her fan. The dobe wouldn't consider it fair."

Hinata surprised everyone by asking, "Is there any chance that Kabuto-san can defeat Gaara-san?"

Kurenai smiled worriedly at the girl, "There is always a chance Hinata, but I would be lying if I said that there is much hope of it happening."

Hinata nodded and shocked the group further, "Good. Naruto-kun will be very happy to be able to face Gaara-san."

Sakura spoke to the girl, "Gaara will kill him!"

Hinata shook her head and spoke with more determination than any one there had ever heard her use, "No. Naruto-kun will win and become a chuunin." '_Please win Naruto-kun. I could not bare to watch you die here.'_

* * *

The fight between Gaara and Kabuto began quickly. The silver haired young man was able to perform a number of fire jutsu and dodge the most brutal of Gaara's attacks. However none of his moves were able to pierce Gaara's defense and some of Gaara's attacks did cause some damage to Kabuto. Most damage however, Kabuto showed great skill in completely healing. Finally Kabuto withdrew from the match. The boy was exhausted but for the most part he was unscathed which was surprising considering the amount of punishment Gaara had tried to deal the boy.

* * *

Gai spoke happily in the stands, "Another fine candidate for advancing. He showed supreme chakra control and would be able to provide excellent medical support for any team."

Asuma nodded, "At the very least he should be assigned to the Hospital for additional training. He has real talent."

* * *

Temari's eyes slowly opened and she was forced to close them quickly. Once more she opened them and winced as she let them adjust to the light. After she had done so she slowly sat up and winced at the pain in her head, arms, and legs.

"You should take a minute before you try to move around to much." Kankurou sat in a chair near her bed tinkering with a small mechanism from one of his puppets. He handed her a glass of water and two small pain relief pills. Temari quickly imbibed them before she jolted in shock and quickly interrogated her brother.

"What happened? Have Gaara and Naruto begun yet?"

Kankurou sighed and put his work into a pouch, "Uzumaki put a flash-bang tag on your fan when he put that explosive tag on it. You didn't notice and he took advantage, and no they haven't started the last match. Gaara and that Kabuto just ended their match. He put up a decent fight but he didn't have anything that could breech Gaara's defense."

Temari winced as she got out of bed and grabbed her fan, strapping it to her back. "I have to speak to Naruto again."

Kankurou grabbed his sister by the wrist, "They won't let you back to the contestant box. Besides you won't change anything. That boy is even more stubborn than you are."

Temari glared at her brother but he paid no mind, "The only thing we can do is find some seats and watch the match."

* * *

The Hokage's eyes were glued to the chuunin working to straighten out the arena floor, but his mind was focused on something else completely. He was thinking back to the last time Jiraiya had trained a student for the chuunin exams. The young boy who would become the Yondaime had not come close to being beaten. Now his son was trying to pass the chuunin exam as a rookie genin as well. Naruto hadn't beaten his opponents as soundly as Minato had, but then again while Minato's opponents were talented they were not as talented as the group that Naruto was facing. Then there was the fact that Naruto was dealing with something that Minato had not had to face in his test. Facing a jinchuuriki was always dangerous even for other jinchuuriki, and to make matters worse for Naruto he was unable to draw on the power of his beast as easily as others.

The old man prayed silently in his mind, _'Dear Hokages of the past guide this young leaf and give him strength.'_

* * *

After Kankurou and Temari had found their teacher she forced them to help her find where Shikamaru was sitting. She was annoyed to find Sakura sitting with the boy but she decided to push these thoughts to the side. It was awkward for the Suna ninja when they first joined the large group of Konoha genin teams but this feeling was pushed to the side once both Shino and Tenten acknowledged their opponents cordially. Baki and the other jounin did what came natural to them and sized each other up. After this was accomplished they made way for him to join them.

Temari apologized to Shikamaru, "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my end of the bargain."

The boy shrugged, "It's alright. I still would have fought him the same way."

The girl nodded and focused on the arena and noticed that the repairs were finished. Gaara had not left the field and now waited for the proctor to summon Naruto for the last match. Temari clinched the hem of her skirt and felt her aching muscles scream out against the action.

Shikamaru noticed her discomfort and sighed before he spoke, "You've done all you can at this point so there is no reason to rip yourself up anymore. Just watch the match. Who knows maybe Naruto will surprise everyone."

Temari looked at the younger boy before asking, "Do you think he can do it?"

Shikamaru was silent as his fellow genin all waited for his answer, "Yeah, I do."

* * *

Naruto made his way onto the arena. He didn't notice that the home town crowd was cheering for his arrival. The only thing he noticed was Gaara. The other jinchuuriki regarded him with the same look he always wore, but in his eyes Naruto could excitement and bloodlust. Truth be told Naruto shared the red head's excitement at the prospect of their fight.

The proctor glanced at the two combatants waiting them to give some sign that they were ready. Once he realized that they were focused on the other he sighed and raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Gaara began the match by shooting several of his sand shuriken at Naruto. The blonde easily dodged and summoned ten shadow clones. They surrounded Gaara in a large circle and each began to fire volley after volley of the Kunai and Shuriken Kage Bushin at him. Gaara's automatic defense was able to keep up with the attacks but Gaara was unable to target any of the clones because his sand was constantly crossing his field of vision to protect him.

Gaara was jolted by a couple of explosions from two explosive kunais shot at him. His sand had managed to protect him completely but it had hardened around him and then begun to break apart as it tried to resume its defensive. However Naruto bust through the wall of sand with a kunai in hand and swung at Gaara's stomach. His aim was bad however and the only damage he did was to cut away the bit of Gaara's shirt that hadn't been scorched away by the Chidori over his stomach. Gaara responded quickly by summoning his active sand and slammed it into Naruto with great force. Gaara wasn't surprised to see Naruto disappear in a puff of smoke but he was surprised by the ground exploding up behind him.

Gaara turned to see a smiling Naruto with his right hand spread with five character aflame on his finger tips. "**Gogyou Fuuin!"**

Naruto's palm slammed into Gaara's seal. Gaara doubled over in pain and shock as he felt his armor of sand and automatic defense fall away. At that point all the Naruto charged in and began to rain blows on Gaara. After a few strong hits Gaara yelled and used his own control over the sand to slam it into Naruto and all of his clones. All of the blondes flew across the arena and the clones popped out of existence. Taking the chance Gaara formed his Suna no Mayu to figure out what happened to him.

In his mind Gaara called out, 'Mother! Mother! Answer me! Why aren't you protecting me? You called for this one's blood!'

Gaara waited for several moments and slowly realized that the demon was nowhere in his mindscape. It wasn't even whispering to him as it constantly tried to. Slowly Gaara noticed pain throughout is body and that it was cut in several places. The sight of blood did not cause the frenzy he normally felt. Gaara thought of the blonde he was facing and what the boy had done to him but aside from annoyance at the blonde getting the advantage over him he did not feel the same desire to destroy the boy that he had felt earlier. This surprised Gaara greatly. He quickly thought of others that he hated. He quickly found that most of the hate he felt for others was replaced with a mere apathy. He still hated the council and his father but he found that the thought of him getting revenge on them seemed hollow. Also he found that his sensei and two siblings brought a much lighter feeling. It made him calm and reminded him of when he was still young and ignorant. Gaara feared and loved it all at once. His mind spun.

* * *

In the stands Temari and Kankurou jumped to their feet as they watched Gaara's sand fall away and his retreat into his cocoon.

Beside them Sasuke's Sharingan whirled as he question his teacher, "What was that?"

Kakashi's own Sharingan was targeted at the fight, "It was a very powerful seal, I don't know which. One way to fight a jinchuuriki is to disrupt his chakra flow or their ability to use the demon's power. Highly experienced jinchuuriki would be able to overcome the disruption in their chakra flow relatively quickly or even be able to remove the seal completely so the method isn't the best. However Gaara is still young and so doesn't have the level of control needed to quickly overcome the seal. That being said as long as he is in that cocoon Naruto can't reach him and he might be able figure out a way to get out of it."

Sasuke nodded then questioned, "Why didn't you tell me to try and seal Gaara?"

"I don't know a powerful enough seal that doesn't require you to paint the symbols onto the body."

Kurenai asked, "Who trained Naruto for this final?"

The silver haired jounin's eyes hadn't left the match but for a moment his eyes flickered around the arena, "I don't know. I left Ebisu to teach Naruto but he wanted someone else. It seems he found someone. Is it possible the Hokage gave Naruto some jutsu scrolls?"

Asuma responded, "The most he would have done would have been to tell Naruto where to find scrolls, but he wouldn't have helped him learn them or strategize with him. The old guy really believes in being impartial during the exams."

* * *

Naruto placed his final explosive tag on the cocoon to try and reach his opponent. He quickly backed away and activated the tag. After the smoke cleared Naruto growled in frustration when he saw the cocoon was still there and unscathed. Sighing to himself Naruto knew what he had to do.

'_I still can't use it without hurting myself but it should be strong enough to brake open his cocoon. This is going to suck.'_

Naruto stood by the cocoon and held out his hand palm up. He quickly moved his other hand around the small ball of chakra that had begun to form and get larger until finally the ball reached the size of the boys palm. At that point Naruto grabbed the ball with both hands and slammed it into the sand sphere.

"Rasengan!"

The ball spun quickly before expanding and exploding. Naruto flew back a large distance and the back side of the cocoon blew open and Gaara was thrown a couple of feet away.

All the genin in the stands were shocked by the reactions of their teachers and the older ninja in the crowd. They focused on Gai as he yelled to Kakashi, "I have to protest this Kakashi! Teaching Sasuke the Chidori was one thing but teaching Naruto the Rasengan is going too far! The boy isn't ready for a technique of that magnitude and it's obvious he hasn't mastered it near enough to use it. He's lucky that Gaara couldn't move or he would have taken all the damage."

Everyone turned to Kakashi to see his response but everyone was surprised to see that Kakashi was still staring at Naruto with wide eyed surprise. After a moment he composed himself and answered Gai.

"I didn't teach him that jutsu Gai."

The older ninja all looked at each other in surprise. Sakura asked Kakashi, "Uh… sensei what's the big deal about that move?"

Kakashi answered, "That jutsu was one of the signature moves that the Yondaime Hokage invented. I based my Chidori on that move." Then he continued to himself, "Naruto's inventive enough to come up with the idea for a move like the Rasengan, but he doesn't have the control or experience to come up with it. Since I didn't teach him the move the only person who could have taught him is…"

"Yo Kakashi!" Everyone turned to see a tall man in kabuki armor, silver hair, and a head band with the symbol for oil. He carried a large tub of popcorn and drink with a large smile on his face. "Interesting match so far eh? Asuma, good to see you again. I hope your old man hasn't been riding you to hard since you got back from the capital. Anko-chan you get lovelier every time I see."

Before either Asuma or Anko could reply Kakashi spoke to the older man, "I wasn't aware you had gotten back just yet. The moves you taught Naruto were excellent for matching up with his opponents, but I must say that the Rasengan is far too much for Naruto to deal with at this point."

Jiraiya shrugged, "I promised the kid I would teach him some moves that would help him win the exam's tournament. He knew that if he used them incorrectly or in the wrong situation that he could end up in bad shape and he was okay with it. You know me Kakashi I'm a sink or swim kind of guy."

The younger man responded, "Naruto could have been better served in the long run by trying to round out his weaknesses. The other jutsu I can see but at the very least that should have taken priority over the Rasengan."

Jiraiya responded calmly, "By the academy manual instruction won't do the gaki much help at this point, and that is all that other guy could have offered."

Kakashi suddenly looked as though he was as old as the Sandaime. Searching for a way to end the uncomfortable silence Kurenai asked, "Pardon me but who is this man Kakashi?"

The older man turned to the pretty jounin with a large grin, "I'm Jiraiya. One of the Sannin and bestselling author of both academic and fictional fare."

Kurenai smiled, "I'm honored to meet you sir. I wonder if I've read any of your works."

Asuma and Anko held back their laughs as the man answered, "Well I wrote most of the academy text book on seals, and my primer on sealing elemental jutsu is held as a pinnacle in the community of seal masters. As for my fictional work I have a series that is well known and loved by people of all lands and classes. I also wrote a stand alone work but it never sold that well."

Kurenai nodded, "The name of the series?"

Jiraiya smiled, "The Icha Icha series."

Everyone flinched at the dark look that came over Kurenai's face.

* * *

Naruto and Gaara had risen to their feet and charged at one another. They traded hard blows and both boys were beginning to show fatigue.

Gaara spat some blood as he inquired frantically, "What did you do to me? Why can't I hear mother?"

Naruto wiped blood from his own mouth, "I just made sure that any feelings you had were just yours and all the chakra you used was just yours. Didn't you say that your hate would beat me? I feel a lot from you Gaara but I don't feel much hate, or at least none that is directed at anyone who probably doesn't deserve it. The thing I feel most from you is frustration. You want to win this but only because you want to see how good you really are."

Gaara's mind spun, 'Is that what I'm feeling? Is that what I crave right now?'

The two boy traded blows once more even fiercer than before. As they did Gaara did feel desire but it wasn't like the desire the demon felt for blood. It was a desire to match his opponent in this combat. To show the other boy that he too could accomplish what he set his mind to do through shear will and skill. He did want to win but he wanted Naruto to be left afterward so that they would be... what?

Gaara growled and once more tried to use his sand to crush Naruto yelling as he did so, "What does this prove? That I have no strength aside from the demon's rage? Without it guiding me I'm nothing."

Naruto dodged the attacks, "No! All this means is that for all the evil that has happened you can still let go of your hate and live your life being true to your heart. You aren't all tied up with others' hate. If I had been treated as cruelly or been betrayed like you have been I don't know if I would have the strength to not give in to it. I want to be as strong as you Gaara and I want you to know what its like to be accepted for being who you really are."

Gaara was spent by using the last of his charka to control his sand. Naruto was also close to collapse. The two stared at each other in silence neither boy's eyes leaving the other's. Finally Gaara questioned in a mournful tone, "Who is there to see what I am? I'm only a puppet used to show that the Ichibi is free in the world."

Naruto responded softly, "There are at least two people in this world that will see you for who you are. Temari told me how your uncle betrayed you, but the most important thing she told me about was how you tried to apologize to the girl you hurt even though it was an accident. You didn't understand why she was afraid then but you do now. I promise that Temari will help you make people understand. She already helped me see you for who you really are… even if you couldn't see it. I'll help you to Gaara if you'll let us be friends."

Naruto waited for Gaara to answer. Gaara pondered what Naruto had told him. It sounded wonderful but he was still so afraid and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Finally he opened his mouth and spoke one word, "I…"

Gaara collapsed before he could say another word. The crowd gasped and Naruto rushed to the boy's side but as he got close he was smashed by a wall of sand that sent him skidding back. When he landed he looked up to see sand cover Gaara's upper body and form a monstrous shape. The creature's eyes were large, black, and yellow. Its vicious mouth smiled and spoke in an echoed manic voice, "**Freedom! Ahahahahaahaha! I wish I could be in my larger body but that nasty little seal keeps Gaara and I separate enough that we can't synch up. Luckily though it preserved my power while the boy used all his up. I was not a minute to soon in controlling the boy. If he had listened to you it would be very hard for me to play with my toy in the future. Now I can kill you while he slumbers and when he wakes he'll feel so guilty that he'll never be free of me."**

Naruto growled, "You fucking tankui! I'm going to kick your ass!"

The blonde charged in and summoned his clones. They were able to fluster the Ichibi's aiming but unable to do much damage. Naruto and four of his clones danced around trying to deal a major blow. Suddenly one of the blondes was seized by the ankle and brandished like a club. He slammed into three of his fellows and all dispersed. The real Naruto had jumped and was poised to deliver a huge blow to the monster's head.

"I've got you!"

The Shukaku smiled, **"No. I've got you."**

Naruto's blow smashed the creature's head causing it to lose most of it's shape but spikes shot grew from it's body and pierced Naruto threw the arms and legs. The boy was stuck in place as a wall of sand grew behind him with even larger and sharper spikes growing from it. The demon reared back an arm and punched Naruto off his body and onto the wall. His shoulders were ripped threw along with most of one leg, and one had pierced his chest close to his heart. The sand then fell away leaving Naruto a broken heap on the ground that was quickly turning red from his blood. The arena was silent.

* * *

In the stands among his friends there were no words but only a wail from Hinata who had risen and tried to jump onto the field. Shino and Kiba held her as Kurenai turned away with a tear in her eye. Shikamaru merely watched with a detached look on his face unable to show any kind of emotion. Chouji had dropped his chips and looked sullenly at the ground his eyes rapidly turning red. Ino was trying to turn Sakura's view away from her teammate but wasn't able to and both the girls' had tears in their eyes. Tenten placed her arm around Lee as the boy had begun to cough and cry. Neji's face betrayed nothing but in his heart he felt a deep sadness. Sasuke's Sharingan was imprinting the image in his mind but he couldn't turn his vision away from Naruto's suffering. Kankurou watched his sister with worry. The girl's face was etched in stone and her eyes stared out unblinking. The leaf jounin in the group were about to jump down and remove Naruto as quickly as possible but they were stopped by Jiraiya who held up a hand.

"Don't you all feel that? It isn't over yet."

* * *

Naruto felt nothing but pain throughout his body. In the back of his mind he heard the water around him before the deep dark voice rang out around him.

"**I have to give you credit. You fought that sad excuse for a human perfectly. It's just a shame that that fool of a sage was unable to foresee Shukaku taking control with that seal placed on him. As much as I love to see you broken and bleeding boy I can't see you die just yet much less at the hands of the Ichibi. If that tankui thinks it can send me to Yomi for a few decades he has another thing coming."**

Naruto felt a raging fire light around him but it didn't burn him instead his pain seemed to melt away. At the same time the sewer he was lying in disappeared.

The Ichibi had formed a massive sand ball and was prepared to smash the ball onto the prone form of Naruto over the objections of the proctor. As the ball descended however it was blown apart by an explosion of fire orange chakra. Slowly Naruto rose from the ground and more of the chakra poured out to cover his body. His tattered jacket and shirt were ripped off his chest and the wounds on his body quickly closed and healed. Naruto's eyes became blood red, his cheek marks became darker and larger, and his nails and teeth became long and sharp. The boy crouched so that his hands were flat on the in front of his feet. His bare chest showed a black seal and the chakra covered him like a transparent cloak with a long tail.

"**Shukaku! I'm gonna beat you into the ground while Gaara wakes up!"**

* * *

In the stands there was pandemonium amongst all of the people from Konoha. The genin were stunned by the amount of panic among their fellow villagers.

Ino questioned Shikamaru who was staring at the Jounin instructors while they had a hushed conversation amongst themselves and Jiraiya.

"What is going on? What kind of move is Naruto using that healed him like that? Why is everyone so freaked out right now?"

All of the genin waited for the Nara boy to respond but it was Temari who answered. The girl's face was white as a sheet and she was trembling. Kankurou placed a hand on her shoulder to try and stop the girl from shaking.

"That seal on his stomach… the way he was treated and looked at by all the adults. The way Gaara reacted to him… how could this have happened to someone else? Is there really so much… evil in this world that this could be done more than once in so many places?"

Kankurou question his sister, "What do you mean?"

Temari turned with tears welling around her eyes to answer her brother, "Naruto is like Gaara. He's a jinchuuriki."

Kankurou's face showed shock while Sasuke questioned, "What is a jinchuuriki?"

The genin were drawn to the voice of Jiraiya, "A jinchuuriki is a person who has had a bijuu sealed within them."

Ino scoffed, "Naruto doesn't have a bijuu in him. He doesn't act like Gaara doe-"

Shikamaru cut his friend off, "It's the Kyuubi isn't it? That's why none of the adults liked Naruto. I've always wondered. I thought that his family might have been traitors or criminals, but this makes more sense."

The other genin were shocked by Shikamaru's statement but Jiraiya merely smiled at the boy, "You're Shikaku's kid right?"

Shikamaru continued, "You aren't allowed to tell us are you? No one who knows the truth can tell someone who doesn't right? I bet Naruto hasn't known for long either."

Temari's voice croaked a mocking laughter as she spoke, "So even Konoha can abuse innocent children, and it seems that even the great Yondaime Hokage couldn't resist the temptation to create a human weapon when the chance presented itself."

Everyone around Temari were jarred by a roar from Jiraiya, "Don't you dare compare the Yondaime Hokage to your power grabbing council or father! You can't begin to imagine the hate Minato had to the idea of using people as Jinchuuriki. To even think of creating one he would have felt there was a reason greater than merely creating a 'weapon.'"

Seeing the fear in the eyes of the girl in front of him and the way in which her teacher had edged close enough to keep him from hurting the girl (at least for a moment) if it came to it caused Jiraiya to sigh sadly.

He continued, "You're not wrong about some of our people though. Before he died the Yondaime wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero on the level of those who died fighting the Kyuubi. He didn't realize how much was lost though. Most ninja know about the history of Jinchuuriki, those that don't die in battle lose the will to live as they get older, or they go crazy like the Yondaime Mizukage. So they merely watched the boy neither hating or accepting him wanting to see what he will become. Most civilians aren't educated enough to understand even the concept of human sealing which makes them fearful to start out with. Add to that the fact that what was sealed took away their friends and loved ones, and the Yondaime himself. You have no idea how beloved Minato was. Everyone was expecting him to lead us in the peace he had helped win for as long as the Sandaime had led us. It might have been foolish to hope for that but it was still a strong wonderful hope. As unfair as it is Naruto became the focus of their hate."

The genin all shared looks between themselves and all were trying desperately to digest what they had seen and heard. Jiraiya walked from the group and formed some handseals then placed his hands on the railing over looking the stadium. Suddenly a blue barrier appeared around the arena then flashed out of view. The man answered the questioning looks.

"The Kages wanted me to come up with a way to shield the arena from demonic chakra. I know it's a hard thing for you to learn when you're still so young and innocent but there is a lot of hate in this world and it permeates every aspect in it, and the sad fact of it is that it isn't hate between good and evil but good and good. However, as much hate as there is in the world there are some things that are much stronger. Naruto is fighting for those things right now. I ask that you watch him, see his strength, learn from it, and believe in it."

She didn't know why but Temari felt the old man was speaking directly to her. Seeing that there was nothing left for her to say or do Temari returned her attention to the arena floor.

* * *

Naruto pounced from his crouch and flew clean through the wall of sand that the Shukaku had brought up to try and defend against him. A flawing claw slammed into the sand demon and sent him flying into the wall. Shukaku responded by firing large shurikens and spikes made of sand at Naruto. The boy was easily able to dodge this onslaught and then he raised his clawed hands and held them towards Shukaku. The flaming chakra extended as quick as lighting and tried to crush the Shukaku. The demon managed to dodge and he jumped to the ground clear across the arena from Naruto.

Shukaku growled, "**You little shithead! I'm tired of playing around with you and that over grown rat in your stomach! I'll show you both what I can really do**!"

The Shukaku began to channel a large amount of chakra and much of the sand in the arena began to flow to the front of the demon. Once there it began to form a massive drill shape and it slowly began to spin.

Naruto responded by lifting his right hand up and began to channel his own chakra into the palm of his hand. Slowly a large blue sphere formed in his hand and then it began to take on the reddish orange hue of his chakra cloak.

The Ichibi launched the drill at an incredible speed at Naruto. The blonde responded by launching strait at the large sand structure slamming the Rasengan into the drill. Everyone was surprised to see the Rasengan tear through the drill easily and drive the Shukaku once more into the wall. As Naruto and the Ichibi hit the wall the sand that had made up Shukaku's body disappeared as did Naruto's chakra cloak.

* * *

Gaara woke up on his back looking up at a bright blue sky. He looked around and noticed that there was nothing around him. No trees, dirt, arena, or cheering crowd. The only thing he noticed was the vast desert around him, but there was not much heat despite the sun being out. Slowly Gaara sat up and then shifted to his knees and stood shakily.

"You've got wonderful hair Gaara."

Gaara spun around to face the voice behind him. There was a smiling woman with brown hair and warm eyes. The woman continued in a wistful tone, "Great eyes too. Girls should be fighting over you soon."

Gaara's face remained passive, "You're… Mothe… Karura."

The woman's smiled slipped away, "That's my name yes. I'm sure you have many questions so feel free to ask."

"Where am I?"

"In your mind."

Gaara frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. We are in your mind. The seal that Naruto-kun placed on you has altered the way we and the Ichibi interact with each other. You can't hear him or me when he is using my voice. He can't synch with you the way he normally does and so isn't able to use his abilities to their fullest extent. Also I'm freed of his madding influence and while he is out there he is deaf to us."

Gaara was silent for a moment, "How long will this last?"

"If you mean in your mind… I don't think you'll have to wait to long. Shukaku will use all of his chakra soon. If you mean the seal, I have no idea. Probably not longer than a couple of days."

Gaara was silent once more but his face and eyes betrayed anger and worry.

"Why… Why did… Why did you curse me? Why did you have me if you didn't want me? Is what Yashamaru said true? Or was the Kazekage actually telling the truth?"

Karura's eyes filled with tears. She sat in front of Gaara.

"Your father and I had an arranged marriage. It was meant to combine the blood of the Shodai and Nidaime Kazekages' families. Despite this fact your father and I came to love one another. Our families approved. All but my younger brother. He was never able to accept that I didn't mind my relationship with Kanbei. When I died I believe he went very mad. Almost as mad as the demon made me when you were born. I think the demon made me say those things because he knew that Yashamaru might react the way he did. The demon can sense a weakness to madness and loves to spread it to as many people as possible."

"So Yashamaru was telling the truth! You did curse me."

Karura shook her head. "When your father was named Kazekage Suna was in terrible condition. We both loved our home and we wanted to make it strong again. As time progressed we slowly achieved our goals but there were still many on the council that would stand against us. Then they wished to try to use the Ichibi once more and seal it in a child that they could control and use against _our_ family. While your father was trying to figure out how to deal with the council I researched the past Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi and I discovered that virtually all of them fell into complete madness by the age of eight. At a certain point they were dragged out and forced to transform on battlefields and rampaged until they died. I also found the past seal used to make the Jinchuuriki. I asked the only person in village who remained that had been a witness to the sealing process, Elder Chiyo, if she could alter the seal in such a way to create a shield of sanity while the subjects mind developed. It was possible so long as a mind with a proper motivation to protect the subject's mind could combat Shukaku. I thought who better to defend a child than their mother. So I convinced your father to use you and myself in the ritual. There was a problem that Elder Chiyo and I didn't foresee. While I was giving birth my mind and body weren't strong enough to fight off the Shukaku and I gave into his madness."

Gaara betrayed nothing but his voice held anger, "A problem? I've been hated my whole life because of this! People my own age fear me! I've had people trying to murder me almost my whole life! All because you wanted to get more power for Suna and the Kazekage!"

Karura nodded, "You have every right to be angry and hate me Gaara, but I want you to think of this. If another child was chosen there would have been a civil war in eight years and I don't think your father could have won. What do you think would have happened to Temari, Kankurou, you, or the other children we wanted to have? You already know that some of the council had no problems sending men to kill you and I can tell you if any of the men they sent succeeded they would have been told to try and kill your brother and sister. Why would they hold off on a twelve, ten, or eight year old."

Gaara sat contemplating what the woman had said for a long time before his monotone voice croaked out, "What do I do? This is all I know. What I've done is all that I've known how to do. Should I merely forgive all who have treated me this way?"

Karura answered, "You should do what you feel is right. I've seen your heart Gaara and despite all that has happened to you it is still strong and good and it won't lead you astray. As for forgiveness… I would say to forgive the villagers that don't understand what was done to you. Forgive those that don't and didn't realize their mistakes… like your brother and sister. As for the council, your father, and myself… if I were in your place I don't think I could forgive so I won't ask you to forgive your father or myself. If you want revenge on your father I would only ask you to wait until Suna is in a much more stable position with clear individuals that could take his place. The council… there are a few that probably regret their actions and the pain it caused, but most don't. Never trust them even if you forgive them. You can find their names and statements in the council record of minuets."

Gaara sank once more into silence. His mother sat waiting for her son to speak once more. After awhile she chuckled to herself.

Gaara spoke, "What's funny?"

Karura smiled, "You sit so still when you think. You got that from your father's family. Kanbei and his father would play shogi and would sit so still when they weren't making a move that I used to tease that they were painted statues."

Gaara didn't respond to that but just nodded and went back to his silent contemplation. After several more moments Karura questioned, "May I play with your hair?"

Gaara flinched in shock, "What?"

"Your hair. May I play with it?"

Gaara jerked his head down and his mother moved behind him and ran her hands through his hair. "I always loved doing this with you brother and sister when they were young. Poor Temari her hair was so wild, but while your and Kankurou's hair is wild it looks so cute windswept. Girls can't get away with that."

Gaara's voice betrayed nothing but he was glad that he wasn't looking the woman in the face. He didn't want her to see the effect she was having on him. They continued on in silence for what felt like hours before Gaara spoke.

"You would have had more children?"

The woman smiled warmly, "Oh yes. I wanted a large family I'd always been a part of one. During the last great war though all of my cousins died and your father's brothers all died before they could have children. If we hadn't needed all of our ninja I would have started even sooner. When we first found out about you I'd hoped that you would become a genjutsu specialist. Temari would use ninjutsu, Kankurou and his puppets would fight at close range, and you would provide long range support. Then I wouldn't have minded a little girl that wouldn't want to be a ninja. Temari never wanted to learn about some of the things girls like and I was always disappointed by that. Don't get me wrong though I'm so proud of her."

Suddenly the earth around them began to shake and the pair jumped to their feet. Karura spoke, "The Ichibi has used its power up. You'll be taking control soon."

Gaara nodded, "How long has it been? On the outside I mean?"

"Not as long as it has been here. Have you decided what you want to do yet?"

Gaara looked to the sun that hung above his head, "I will try to… understand those around me and why they act the way they do. I will follow my own desires and not the Shukaku's. I will try to find people who will accept me. I think I have found one who can understand… another like me. We can help one another. As for the Kazekage, the others, and you… I will withhold my judgment, and I may one day forgive but you should know I will never forget."

Karura nodded, "I understand. You have already taken a huge step and shown much more forgiveness than many would in your case. I… have one last thing to ask you… could you tell your sister and brother that I love and miss them. Tell Kankurou that I miss his puppet shows and Temari that I think she's met her moon. Also… if you do decide to forgive him tell Kanbei that I love him too."

Gaara turned and noticed that the sun quickly fell and the moon rose in its place. The Ichibi rose from the sand and Gaara felt himself sink into it. As his chest sunk down Karura called, "I love you Gaara."

Gaara woke with tears in his eyes with sand around him. He found himself lying on his stomach facing a battered and bruised Naruto who was gasping in air. His body felt as bad as Naruto looked. The proctor ran over to the two of them and began to count.

"Ten!"

Naruto spoke, "Is that you Gaara?"

Gaara nodded, "Yes. I've returned. Are you alright?"

"Nine!"

Naruto chuckled, "I'm not sure. I feel like shit."

Gaara tried to smiled but he stopped and questioned in a small scared voice, "Naruto… would you be my first friend?"

"Eight!"

Naruto's face showed shock but then he gave Gaara a huge grin, "Of course! Will you be my friend?"

Gaara nodded, "I will try but I don't know how to be one."

"Seven!"

Naruto smiled and his eyes began to close slowly, "You do. You'll see. You kept your promise to me remember?"

Gaara spoke worriedly, "Naruto? Naruto?"

"Six!"

Gaara yelled to the proctor, "Get the medics down here! He's hurt.

The man flinched, "The match is still going on. Unless he gives up or you stand up I have to finish this countdown before the match can end. Five!"

Gaara thought for a moment before blurting out, "I surrender!"

The proctor was stunned, "What? All you have to do is stand up until I finish, or if you can't do that you could still tie with him."

Gaara shook his head, "No. He's won. I give up."

The man shook his head, "If you say so." He turned his microphone back on, "Sabaku no Gaara informs me that he is giving up despite the fact that he could at least tie therefore I declare that Uzumaki Naruto is the winner!"

The stands exploded into wild cheers.

* * *

Jiraiya smiled as his barrier disappeared, "The demonic chakra is all gone. We should go down and give our congratulations."

The man vanished in a swirl of leaves. Naruto's classmates all stared at each other and made to move before Kankurou's stunned voice stopped them, "Gaara… gave up?"

Temari didn't respond but instead jumped down onto the arena wall and then floor with the others trying to catch up.

Gaara slowly stood and waved the medics away, "I'm fine. Worry about Naruto."

His attention was drawn away by the arrival of his teammates and sensei. They stopped a few feet in front of him and Kankurou spoke, "Are you alright Gaara?"

The boy nodded, "Temari… Kankurou… Baki-sensei I'm sorry."

Temari and Baki were speechless but Kankurou spoke, "Don't worry about it." The older boy placed Gaara's arm over his shoulders and helped him move closer to the center of the ring where everyone else was surrounding Naruto.

Temari feel in on Gaara's other side and supported him from there.

Gaara called out, "Is Naruto okay?"

The medics pulled back to reveal a Naruto that was wrapped in bandages from head to toe and the only open space was his face except for his cheek marks that had gauze placed over them. His eyes were still closed but his was breathing easily.

Jiraiya spoke, "He's fine. Just slacking off for a moment."

Jiraiya thumped the boy's ears which caused him to jerk awake with a start, "Ow! That hurt Ero-sennin! Wait… what happened with the match? Is Gaara okay?"

Jiraiya smiled, "He's fine and I didn't think you'd want to miss your victory celebration."

Naruto looked stunned, "I won? I won! Ha ha! I'm a chuunin now! I'll be Hokage in no time at all!"

Jiraiya sighed, "Try to act a little cooler about it. Anyway all of the contestants that made it to the finals and their teammates are supposed to meet at the Hokage's mansion for a big party at eight tonight."

Before Naruto could speak to anyone else however the medics came and rolled him into the infirmary on site.

As his friends protested to try and speak with him Temari merely watched the boy lay down with a smile of pure contentment on his face. Temari smiled softly to herself. 'You kept your promise Naruto-kun. I think I understand you a little better now. I'll do whatever it takes to repay you for your help and I know the perfect way to start."

Temari spoke to her team in a bossy tone, "Well you heard the man! We have should return to the hotel and get ready for the party."

Gaara felt something odd when his sister used that tone to him. He felt like he was part of their group and a little bit of fear. He couldn't remember being happier.

* * *

**Jutsu (The ones I made):**

**Kaze no Hishu: Dagger of Wind. Similar to Baki's sword of wind he used to kill Hayate.**

**Doton: Ganseki Dekisui Mika: Earth Release: Rock Drowing Jug. A giant gourd Gaara made to trap people in so he could just fill it with sand to drown them.**

******Jinkourai Nohara: Artificial Lighting Field: Multiple seals laid out over the ground resonate with eachother and make a field of electricity.**

* * *

**AN: DAMN!** **What an odyssey this chapter has been. I was prepared to update a while ago when my computer crashed. My back up of this chapter hadn't been updated so I was pretty broken up about it. While I was waiting for it to be fixed I decided to continue on with the story. So when I got it back a couple of days ago with my files intact I added the addition to the chapter. So this is pretty much two chapters together. Also I did a little work on an AU set in a completely different world. I don't know when I'll put that up because I won't to get this moving forward a bit.** **Oh and before I forget there were a couple of people's reviews I couldn't answer to because the site updated the reply URL and the old reply links wouldn't work. So I would like apologize to those that can receive replies but didn't so please review again and I will try and get back to you.** **It's late in my time zone but I've done my best to try and correct any major mistakes so if any got trough just bear with it and don't hit me to hard. **

**Please review this one. I need it. Also as always please feel free to ask anything you want or offer constructive comments.**


	13. The Calm Between Two Storms

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews. Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy. Please R&R**

* * *

_A young girl with her dirty blonde hair in four pigtails struggled with the long piece of folded metal. Slowly she was able to lift it and open the fan, but she wasn't able to control how fast it opened and the fan crashed into the stone floor of the room she was in. The girl winced at the noise and waited for a moment before she tried to pick the fan up. While she was in the process of picking up the fan she didn't notice the brown haired figure of her mother walk into the room._

"_Temari, what are you doing?"_

_The girl jumped in shock but she turned slowly with a look of determination on her face. "I was trying to train."_

_The woman shook her head and chuckled, "I think you should start with something easier."_

_Temari huffed and crossed her arms, "I'm the daughter of the Yondaime Kazekage and his wife, the best kunoichi of Sunagakure no Sato. I don't need to practice simple D-rank jutsu."_

_Karura smiled, "Well if that's your attitude you won't be a ninja anytime soon. You won't learn any higher level skills until you master the lower level ones."_

_The girl was about to protest but was stopped by her mother bending down and picking up her fan. "Tell me Temari, What are these?"_

_The girl looked at the purple circle on the fan's blade, "It's a circle."_

_Her mother shook her head, "They're moons. When our people first came to the desert they learned that the sun here was harsh, but the moon was forgiving and helpful. Since then many have seen the moon as a protecting and guiding force. When I was given this tessan I had moons placed on the folds to symbolize those that I protected and who protected me. This one is our friend Baki, your uncle, your father, and the ones on the other side are you, Kankurou, and this one will be your new brother or sister."_

_Temari questioned, "What if you have another baby?"_

_The woman smiled, "I'll just have to add more. When you get old enough I'll get you a fan and you can add your own moons."_

_Temari shrugged, "That's fine but I'm going to have you on my fan along with all the others on this one."_

_Karura smiled, "You'll already have as many as me. Then when you get married you can add some for your own family."_

_Temari stuck out her tongue, "Ewe! Boys are so gross! I'm not going to get married."_

_Karura laughed, "I thought the same thing once but you'll change your mind one day." In her head she sighed softly, 'I pray that you will have the freedom to find your own husband, and if that can't be I hope that you can eventually love him as deeply as I love your father.'_

_~Temari and Karura shortly after her pregnancy with Gaara was announced_

* * *

Naruto sat fidgeting as Jiraiya examined his seal, "I don't see any problems with the seal now but we'll need to keep an eye on it. The more of the Kyuubi's chakra you use the more the seal will weaken. Anyway, you're fine for the moment so I'll leave so your friends can come in and see you."

"Do you think… I mean are they… scared of what I did? Of it?"

Jiraiya gave the boy a small smile, "Not really. They're more curious than anything. We can't really talk to them about it until you or the Hokage tell them for certain."

Naruto looked at the floor, "What should I do?"

Jiraiya placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Be yourself and tell the truth. They care about you kid and they're worried right now. Put their minds at ease and everything will be fine. Now make sure you have fun at that party tonight it's in your honor, Mr. Chuunin."

Naruto smiled slightly, "Are you going to be there?"

The man shrugged, "Maybe but I doubt it. I have a date with twins. I'm hoping for a ménage a trois and that can take time."

Naruto shrugged, "Well have fun Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya laughed deeply as he opened the door not caring that Naruto had used his nickname. Naruto watched nervously as all of his classmates, their teachers, Gai, and his team filed into the room.

"Hey guys! How's it going?"

His friends waved and then looked at each other hoping that someone would speak first. Kakashi made the first move however.

"You've done very well Naruto. A chuunin after only six months not many people can say that. The Yondaime himself was the first person to do so… in the exam era anyway."

Naruto smiled, "Yeah Ero-sennin was bragging about it earlier."

Kakashi chuckled at the man's new nickname, "He should. It's not easy to raise a genin team. I'm discovering that myself. I'm sorry for the way things turned out earlier in the exam. I underestimated you and I gave you someone that couldn't have helped you grow as much as possible. I'll try to do better from now on."

Naruto chuckled, "Don't be so down Kakashi-sensei. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, and besides things worked out in the end."

Kakashi smiled, "Arigatou Naruto. I don't mean to start lecturing so soon after your promotion but I do want to give you fair warning. Being a chuunin means a lot more than being a genin. In addition to going on more dangerous and higher ranking missions with several chuunin and being led by a jounin you will have to lead on lower ranking ones. This means that you will be in charge of not only your mission but your teammates also. It isn't something that should be taken lightly."

Naruto's eyes burned with determination, "I won't. I'll always do my best to complete the mission and make sure that everyone will come back alive, and if I can't do that… I'll make sure that they didn't die for nothing."

Kakashi nodded, "That's all any of us can do in the end. Don't worry too much too quickly though. When you first start out they usually place you on mid level missions and routine duties. You'll be grouped with other chuunin. They don't out rank you but it's important to work well with them and build bonds of trust while you learn from the older ones and they learn from you. Anyway I've taken enough of your time. They'll tell you all this later. I'll see you tonight at the party."

The silver haired man walked out with the other jounin leaving Naruto and all his friends in the infirmary. Every one kept silent for a moment as no one was sure where to start. Finally the silence was broken by the most unexpected person in the room.

Hinata walked up to Naruto and held out a small jar, "This balm is for bruises and cuts. I hope it will make you feel better."

Naruto reached out and took the jar, "Thanks Hinata…"

The girl bowed quickly and spoke softly, "I also want to congratulate you on your promotion, and tell you that… I don't care if you're a jinchuuriki. It has helped make you the person you are today and I think that the person you are is wonderful and I wouldn't change anything about you for anything in the world."

The girl bowed once more and quickly made her way through her stunned friends and out the door. Naruto stared dumbly at how quickly the girl had left and tried to process what had just happened, but before he could think to hard Neji spoke in his calm monotone.

"I must escort Hinata-sama home but I must say something. A man shouldn't be blamed or hated for his fate but if he is and does not hate the world he should be praised."

Neji bowed and followed his cousin's path out of the room. Naruto responded softly, "Thanks Neji."

The older boy waved as he left the room. At that point Shikamaru sighed and took a chair at the foot of Naruto's bed.

"Usually finding out more about a person makes them less troublesome, but in your case it's the opposite. Not to say that it isn't interesting. How long have you known?"

"I found out the night I graduated."

Shikamaru nodded, "That explains a lot. I take it your seal is a lot different from what they used on Gaara. I mean the fox doesn't talk to you does it?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know about Gaara's seal. As for the Kyuubi I've only talked to it a few times when I drew on its chakra. It's trapped in a cell in a sewer and it was pissed about being there. Normally it has to give me its chakra but if I'm angry enough I can take it myself without asking. I did that on our mission to Wave and in the forest. I don't know what happened to make the cloak with the tale."

Everyone processed Naruto's words for a few moments. Finally Chouji spoke, "I don't care Naruto. I'm still your friend."

That started a flood of everyone else in the room stating the same thing to Naruto. After a few more minutes of his friends speaking support a knock came from the door and a medic poked his head in telling Naruto he was free to go. For a little while longer Naruto and his friends sat and talked about their days at the academy. Days that seemed much farther away than six months. They also discussed some of their adventures after their graduation.

Realizing that everyone needed to be getting a move on Ino spoke, "Well I guess we should probably go and get ready for the party. I'll see you all there."

Everyone slowly filed out of the room until only team seven remained. Sasuke spoke, "We'll have to have our match soon dobe… I'll see you two later."

Sakura spoke quickly, "I think we should show up as a team. We could meet at our bridge about a half hour before the party?"

Sasuke nodded and walked out the door leaving Naruto and Sakura alone. Naruto smiled at the girl and she smiled back, "Do you need some help Naruto?"

"No. I'm fine. I just need to get my stuff before I leave. Sakura… Do you think... never mind."

Sakura frowned, "What's the matter Naruto? We're friends and teammates. You can ask me whatever you want."

The boy nodded, "I know that. It can wait though and I know you probably need a lot of time to get ready for the party."

Sakura's eye twitched slightly, "I'll ignore your sexist comment and let you get on your way, but just know you can talk to me."

Naruto watched sadly as the girl walked from the room. He had done what he set out to do and gotten his promotion to chuunin and as happy as it made him he was still being bothered by something. It was a question that he hadn't thought about much since he was asked. As upset as Naruto was about the things Sakura's father had asked him he couldn't help but feel that the man had been justified in bringing those questions up. Now with all that happened with Gaara and his friends finding out about him he needed to find some answers for his own state of mind, and he needed to do this on his own.

* * *

Temari frowned at her hair in the mirror. It had never been very fine and the climate of Suna didn't help matters much. In the end she decided that she would leave it down and brush it out carefully. After she had decided on her hair she carefully applied a little makeup. After that she put on a fairly tight fitting black kimono with a blood red slash. The dress didn't go far past her knees and didn't limit her movements. Satisfied with her appearance Temari walked from the bathroom in her single room and made her way to the room that her teammates and her father occupied.

Baki wore his standard uniform but without the headgear revealing a short cut of light brown hair. Kankurou wore a beige colored version of his usual uniform without a hood. Gaara wore his standard fare but he still hadn't reformed his gourd. The redhead was looking down from the hotel's window at the hustle and bustle of the village below. Their father had on his robes of state. They all turned when Temari entered the room and all showed a measure of surprise at her appearance. She almost never wore makeup and they were surprised that she had put some on.

Kankurou questioned, "What's with the getup?"

Temari glared at her brother who flinched. She then smiled at her father, "I thought I could be the Yondaime Kazekage's escort for the party this evening."

Kanbei smiled at his daughter, "I can't imagine a lovelier one."

He held out his arm and Temari took it. The man then led his family to the door thinking as he did so.

'You've grown into a beautiful young woman Temari. You're not a little girl anymore. I hope that I can do right by you. You're so much like your mother and I wish she was here to guide the both of us to give you the best future possible.'

* * *

Ino stood at the punch bowl of a long table set up in the Hokage Mansion's large ball room. She was wearing a dress that matched her eyes perfectly and shoes that did the same. She had arrived with her parents who had broken off to speak with the Hokage and elders who were greeting people as they arrived.

Ino was impressed with all the work that had been put into the decorations. She was pulled from her musings by the arrival of her sensei and Kurenai. They were each without their gear. Asuma had on a thin blue jacket over a black t-shirt with a mesh shirt under that. Kurenai had on a wonderful red dress that showed off her figure quite well.

Ino smirked as the pair went through the greeting line. She hid by the edge of the doorway and waited for the two of them to make their way to the buffet line. The pair walked through and reached the punch bowl and Ino noticed that the pair had their pinkies intertwined for just a moment before they broke apart and grabbed some glasses.

The girl cleared her throat and approached the pair, "You two look good together."

Asuma jumped slightly and turned to his student, "We just met each other outside. You're here early Ino."

Ino shrugged, "My parents wanted to get here early. That's a wonderful dress Kurenai-sensei. Where did you get it?"

Kurenai smiled, "I can't remember. I got it a while ago and haven't even worn it out yet."

Ino turned to her teacher, "Asuma-sensei why aren't you taking Kurenai-sensei out more often? Look how gorgeous she is."

Kurenai blushed and Asuma grumbled to himself.

* * *

Team seven arrived and met the greeting line. The Hokage grabbed Naruto and took him aside gently dismissing Sasuke and Sakura.

"I'm glad you're here so early Naruto-kun. Usually the winner stays in the greeting line… unless they're in the hospital. Just remember that many of these people could be clients or are our allies so try to be polite okay?

Naruto responded, "Sure thing Jiji."

The Hokage sighed loudly and shook his head.

Guests quickly made their way into the mansion and to the Hokage's relief Naruto was for the most part quiet and respectful, with the notable exception of his friends.

After being in the line for a while Naruto had begun to grow restless. The only thing that had kept him sane was his classmates coming through. He had begun to cast a sorrowful look at the buffet line and his stomach began to growl painfully. He was pulled from his longing by the arrival of Gaara and his family.

Gaara skipped everyone in the line and went straight toward Naruto.

Naruto smiled, "How're you doing Gaara? Still a little sore?"

Gaara replied in his monotone, "A little but it will probably be gone soon. I'm still healing fairly quickly."

"That's good. I'm still feeling it pretty hard, but I'll feel much better once I can leave this damn line and get some of that food."

Gaara nodded and stood still as his family approached.

Baki was the first to shake Naruto's hand, "Well done Uzumaki-san. I look forward to seeing how you develop."

Naruto replied cautiously, "Thanks. It was pretty hard going. Temari and Gaara fought pretty well."

The Kazekage shook Naruto's hand and answered for him, "They did indeed. Kankurou did as well. Baki did an excellent job. As did your teacher Kakashi."

Naruto shrugged, "Well Kakashi-sensei didn't train me for the finals. That was Ero-sennin… Jiraiya of the Sannin I guess."

The Kazekage flinched for a slight second that Temari caught.

The party from Suna then made their way from the line except for Gaara who lingered for a moment as Naruto was forced to greet more guests. Temari noticed and place a hand on her younger brother's shoulder, "Don't worry. We'll have time to talk once he's done with his duties."

Gaara turned slowly and followed his sister to the large hall where the food and most of the guests were assembled.

* * *

Yuura stumbled through the door and barred it behind him. He panted heavily while sweat poured down his face. He fumbled in his robe for the scroll the Kazekage had given him. He sat down at the desk in the communications tower and scrawled a message. He then opened the scroll the Kazekage had given him.

A small weasel appeared before him. The thin animal had black fur and a blue mask covering it's small face, "Hmm… who are you? Do you have an offering for me?"

Yuura held out the note he had written, "This is for the Kazekage. I'm sure he will pay your fee. This is extremely important. His life and his family are in extreme danger!"

The weasel's eyes narrowed, "That's all that needs to be said then."

The rodent took the letter and popped out of existence. Yuura let out a relieved sigh before he grabbed some more paper and began to scribble the code word that the Kazekage had given him. He then stood walked over to the various messenger hawks and began to equip them and send them off. After he had released five hawks he turned at the sound of someone trying to open the door. As he did so he lost his view of the window in the room.

He never saw the kunai fly into the room. The length of steel pierced the back of his neck severing his spinal cord. Yuura never had a chance to react. As his body feel to the floor the door busted open to reveal a man with dark eyes, green hair, and a painted face. From the window came a short bald man.

The two men quickly surveyed the scene and stared after the birds that had been released. The bald man cursed.

"Shit! He was able to send word. We have to send some men to stop those hawks!"

The man with black eyes shook his head, "We can't afford to remove the few men we have remaining in the city out. Besides he was very panicked, look he didn't get a chance to send the rest of these notes and he didn't have time to send a bird to Konoha. Those are all going to our border bases."

The bald man calmed some, "You're right… I can't believe that he was that foolish."

The other man smiled, "By the time those ninja get here the Kazekage will be dead and there will be no reason for them to fight."

* * *

Naruto was close to exploding with boredom and was having trouble hiding the fact. Luckily he could see the end of the guests coming and he also saw someone that he very much wanted to speak to.

Hinata wore a traditional Kimono that matched the color of her eyes. She was accompanied by her father and sister.

As Hinata made her way down the line and got closer to Naruto her heart began to speed up and her face began to redden. She fought off these symptoms as her father was right behind her though he was falling behind as many people wanted to speak to him. Finally at the end of the line Hinata bowed politely to Naruto.

"Con-Congratulations again Naruto-kun. This is my sister Hanabi."

The younger girl bowed while Naruto examined her, "I didn't know you had a sister Hinata. Do you have any other siblings?"

Hinata shook her head, "No. Just the two of us."

Naruto nodded, "Well it's good to meet you Hanabi. Listen Hinata I want to thank you for what you said earlier… it meant a lot to me."

Hinata's face became scarlet and she began to push her pointer fingers together and twirl them around each other and Naruto continued.

"At the academy you were always so quite and I didn't know about your family's eyes so I though you were weird, nice but weird. "

Hinata's face fell a little but Naruto continued without noticing. "I can tell that it's an honor for a kind person like you to think I'm worth so much… I'm glad that we can call each other friends."

Hinata's smile came back quick and even brighter than before.

The two girls had to move along from Naruto and Hinata glided as she moved away. Hanabi glanced suspiciously at Naruto and back to her sister.

Ino smirked as Hinata and Hanabi joined her and Sakura by Kurenai. The older woman smiled and welcomed the two new arrivals.

"You two look very pretty tonight."

The sisters smiled and thanked Kurenai. Hinata and her teacher talked while Hanabi introduced herself to Ino and Sakura who took to questioning to try and get to know the girl better.

* * *

Temari held a glass of wine in her hand and walked around the perimeter of the large banquet hall watching various groups. Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Lee, and Tenten stood in a large circle talking and laughing.

Temari wished that she had a group of friends like that but she shook those thoughts from her mind as she had so many new paths opened to her.

Neji and Sasuke stood by Asuma, Kakashi, Gai and numerous other jounin, including Baki, who were all exchanging tales of their exploits.

Kankurou stood flirting with a couple of girls around Temari's age, merchants' daughters by their looks. Two were giggling at every other thing he said while a third was standing shyly by Gaara nervously trying to engage him in conversation. Gaara was answering her questions directly and simply with his standard dull look on his face.

Temari watched as Hinata's sister walked to meet her father, while Ino and Sakura joined Kurenai and Hinata in conversation. Hinata began to turn a dark red as the conversation went on and she was very curious about what was being said. Her attention was quickly drawn away by Naruto becoming free of his duties and rushing to the table with refreshments. The boy quickly grabbed a plate and filled it. Temari quickly drained her glass so she could have an excuse to meet Naruto at the table. She had to speak with the boy.

* * *

Sakura and Ino waved goodbye to Hanabi as she went to her beckoning father to be introduced to some foreign dignitary. When she was away Sakura and Ino quickly surrounded Hinata. Kurenai gave the girls a confused look that Ino waved off. The blonde girl then gave Hinata a sly smile.

"Sorry to interrupt Kurenai-sensei. I just wanted to tell Hinata how impressed I was with her bravery earlier today."

Hinata blushed while Kurenai's eyes shot up in surprise, "Oh? What happened?"

Hinata stuttered, "I- it was nothing. Nothing at all."

Ino grinned, "That's not true at all. Your confession to Naruto was very inspiring. It gave us all the courage to tell him what we thought."

Kurenai gave Hinata a sly smile, "Just what did you confess?"

Hinata shook her head, "Nothing! I just told him that I was very impressed with his work ethic and-"

Sakura joining in to the teasing spoke, "I think that the person you are is wonderful and I wouldn't change anything about you for anything in the world."

Hinata's face became as red as her teacher's eyes. Finally Kurenai took pity.

"It's alright Hinata. They're just having some fun. Don't be embarrassed. What you did was very important."

Hinata poked her finger together nervously, "If you say so. Did… Did he say anything about it afterword?"

Ino and Sakura shook their heads. Hinata let out a breath that was half way between relieved and sad.

Sakura spoke, "I could tell that he was very touched that you spoke out so passionately in support though."

Hinata brightened, "Really?"

Both girls nodded their heads vehemently. At that point Ino noticed Temari talking to and leading Naruto away from the group. She spoke in a scheming voice, "You know if I were you I'd follow up on the progress I'd made and strike while the iron was hot. Especially since someone else is making a move."

Sakura, Hinata, and Kurenai all shared a look. Hinata spoke, "W-what do you mean?"

Ino nodded her head toward the retreating figures of Temari and Naruto. "The Sand Princess has been stalking him all night and now she drags him off somewhere to be alone… she was very torn up about him during the exam… maybe now that he's safe she will show him how glad she is that he's okay."

Hinata began to worry about what she should do. Sakura scoffed but she was worried that Temari might still be spying for her father or brother. Kurenai though felt that there might have been some weight to the girl's words. She was to damn perceptive about this kind of thing.

* * *

Naruto followed beside Temari looking at all of the pictures that decorated the hall leading from the dining room into a very large parlor type room that was covered in even more photographs.

Temari's glass was filled to the brim. It would be her fourth. Her face felt flushed but it was also making the words she wanted to say to Naruto come much easier.

The older girl sat down on a small sofa and bid for Naruto to sit down next to her which he did.

Naruto fidgeted at being so close to the girl. He was not used to sitting this close to anyone.

Temari took a sip from her glass, "Thank you for walking with me. I wanted to speak to you earlier, but I felt that I needed to wait for a more… private setting. I just wanted to tell you… I'm sorry for being so hard on you and making so many assumptions about you."

Naruto spoke, "Hey don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."

Temari shook her head and place her hand on Naruto's face making the boy fall silent quickly.

"No it's not okay. Please let me say this. I didn't think that you could possibly understand what Gaara had suffered and that there was no way you could help him. I thought that you were far to naïve, dumb, and foolish to even comprehend his situation much less come up with a way to help him resolve it."

Naruto frowned at that description but Temari just smiled and kept talking, "That shows just how foolish and dumb I am. How a great many people are wrong when it comes to you. You're truly a remarkable person Naruto. You have strength in you that is so hard to describe. To be strong enough to change Gaara through sheer force of will is incredible. You're honest, honorable, and loyal to a fault. In the shinobi world people think that these traits are worthless, and at times I thought those people might have been right, but now I feel that if we all could more be like you then this world would be a much happier place. I admire you Naruto."

Naruto's face became very red and his eyes had begun to tear slightly. He scratched the back of his head and made to stand up, "Heh… That's nice of you to say but it wasn't-"

Temari reached out and grabbed the boy's hand giving him a look of steel, "It was a very big deal. You made your promise of a lifetime to me. I understand what that means to you. So allow me to try and be as strong as you. Let me make you my own kind of promise."

Temari reached into her hair and pulled out a long thing needle, "Before Suna was founded the various clans that occupied the deserts lived in various locations in the middle of nowhere. Water was extremely hard to come by. Even now we honor this struggle that our ancestors went through. We consider water to be sacred. As such we hold blood to the same standard."

Temari took the hand that had grabbed Naruto and drew the needle across the bottom of the palm then crossed it back to the top of the hand, and then straight across the top and finished by crossing it back down to the bottom. Naruto jumped at the action and tried to grab Temari's hands to stop the action but the girl finished and pulled the boy so that they were eye to eye.

Temari stared into the boy's eyes unblinking, "You saved my family. You saved the lives of my brothers, father, teacher, and myself. Gaara would have tried to kill us all one day and he would have killed many before dying himself. Even more than that you saved his soul and what's more is that you did it with no thought of reward. I swear on the water of my body, my blood, that as long as I live you shall have a friend to call upon whenever you need it. Even if the whole world should turn its back on you I shall be there to aid you. This small service is all I can offer as I can never truly repay you for all that you have done. I ask that you please accept this pledge I make with blood and water."

Temari held her bleeding hand over her wine glass and squeezed the blood into it. The needle had drawn plenty of blood but the scratch was thin and hard to see. Naruto staring into Temari's eyes couldn't say anything so he just nodded. His throat was dry and he was starting to feel very strange at how Temari was treating him. The lack of space between them and the way the girl had touched him wasn't helping matters.

Before either blonde could say anything else the door to the parlor opened. Temari and Naruto jumped from the motion but aside from that only Temari moved. She leaned back putting a bit of space between the two. Shikamaru and Chouji walked in and were surprised to see Naruto and Temari. Naruto smiled and greeted the two while Temari gave the boys death glares that only Shikamaru noticed.

Naruto questioned, "What are you two doing here?"

Shikamaru spoke, "That party was getting really loud so Chouji and I thought we would take a walk and look at the place."

Chouji was busy looking through the numerous pictures that adorned the room. Shikamaru examined Naruto and Temari trying to determine what had been going on. He didn't get much time however as Ino lead Sakura and the genin of team 8 into the room.

Kiba waved, "Yo! What are you guys up to?"

Shikamaru and Naruto shrugged, "Just hanging out… what about you guys?"

Temari huffed to herself and stood as Naruto joined Kiba, Shikamaru, and Shino. She made her way over to one of the many tables covered with photographs. There were some so old that they were black and white with the subjects frowning as the tradition used to be. There were also some that couldn't be that old. There was a photo that had one of the chuunin proctors on his genin team.

Ino slid beside Temari smiling at her, "How are you this evening?"

Temari raised her eyebrow, "I'm fine. You?"

Ino feigned staring at some of the photos, "I'm very good. Fun party don't you think?"

"It's not too bad. Defiantly better than most of the affairs my father has to go to."

Temari knew that Ino was up to something. She turned her head slightly and noticed that Sakura was standing beside Hinata and kept motioning to the girl to say something to Naruto. Temari turned her head back to the photos biting her lip. What were Ino and Sakura up too, and why did Hinata talking to Naruto bother her so much?

* * *

A weasel appeared at the foot of the Kazekage. Kanbei excused himself from the group he was speaking with and motioned for the weasel to follow him. When they were alone he nodded for the weasel to speak.

"Sir! I bring you word from you subordinate in Suna. He said it was a matter of life and death!"

The weasel held out a scroll which Kanbei opened. As he did so he threw the weasel a morsel of meat. The creature saluted and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kanbei's face hardened. He looked out at the room and waved for the Hokage and Baki who quickly joined him. He handed the letter to Baki and spoke to the Hokage.

"One of my loyal council members discovered that one of my enemies disappeared. While I came back here he stayed behind and investigated. According to him my enemies have sent almost a quarter of our forces, those loyal to them, to Orochimaru to aid in the attack and they gave him vast amounts of money and supplies. Oto will be far stronger than we had planned for. What's more is that they have infiltrated the ANBU units I've brought with me. Luckily we have there names. However without any of my regular troops here… I'm sorry I've left you with a disadvantage."

The Hokage lit his pipe, "Don't beat yourself up. Take care of the traitors that are here. I'll issue new orders for my forces and initiate our civilian safety plan. The village will take more damage than we planned but in the end we will still be victorious."

The Kazekage nodded, "I'd like to send some messages via hawk to my border outposts. That would have been Yuura's next move but I should add my seal and make double sure that they are alerted."

The Hokage nodded, "Of course."

The Kazekage bowed, "Thank you. Baki I want you to go from ANBU team to ANBU team and interrogate those named. Luckily none of the captains or vice captains are named. They are to help."

Baki bowed, "Yes sir."

"Where are my children?"

"Gaara and Kankurou left with the other genin to explore sir. I believe they joined Temari in the parlor."

The Hokage place his hand on the Kazekage's shoulder, "I will inform my jounin and then I will show you the parlor."

* * *

Sakura exclaimed, "Look its Kakashi-sensei as a genin!"

All of the genin dashed to see the photo. They took in the team photo with him and his teammates.

Ino questioned, "I don't know the other two students. Where do you think they are?"

Sasuke answered, "Dead… at least the other boy is. He was one of my cousins. I remember his photo in one of my aunts' houses draped in black on the memorial of his death."

Naruto looked thoughtful, "I wonder if Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan is from him."

Kiba asked, "He wore a mask then to? Have you guys seen him without his mask?"

Team 7 sighed in unison and Sakura spoke, "We almost did once but Ino-pig and her team interrupted."

Ino was about to shoot off a retort when all of the genin's attention was drawn to the door. The Hokage and Kazekage were accompanied by Asuma and Kurenai as well as the councilors Kotaru and Homura.

The old leader smiled, "I'm glad to see you all enjoying some of our village's history. I see you found the Yondaime's old team photo."

The genin all nodded and started to mill around looking through all the photographs. Naruto found one and called out, "Hey is this you when you were younger?"

The Hokage walked over and laughed when he saw the photo, "Yes. That's me with Koharu and my wife Biwako. The most beautiful girls in the village."

The old woman spoke harshly but by the blush on her cheek it was easy to tell that she enjoyed the compliment, "Really Sarutobi."

The old man chuckled and began to show Naruto pictures of his genin team with the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages.

Kurenai and Asuma found pictures of themselves during and after the war showing them to everyone.

Temari had moved away from the crowd but she kept a close eye on Naruto taking every so often to cast a gaze at him. Her eyes swept over one of the numerous tables and stopped when she caught sight of the silver haired man that had trained Naruto for the Chuunin Exam. Jiraiya was much younger and he had a genin team. One member stood out. The future Yondaime Hokage. Temari had seen a photo of the man before. It was made on the signing of the peace treaty between Konoha and Suna. She had been there herself but she didn't remember that occasion all that well. In the picture she had seen the man was defined by his position and ceremonial importance of the treaty signing itself. The photo before her showed someone much different. His smile was small but very warm and it was easy to see how much he enjoyed being where he was. What really stood out to Temari though was his hair and eyes. The same hair and eyes that the man she had been watching all night had.

Temari glanced between Naruto and the photo in front of her. Her mind was spinning at the impossibility of what she was thinking and the wine that she had had wasn't helping matters.

After a little while of reminiscing about the first two Hokages Hiruzen noticed that Shikamaru's attention had been completely drawn in by the shogi board in front of the fireplace. He approached the boy.

"I see you've noticed the game. Tell me what you think of it."

Shikamaru was silent for a moment before speaking, "This is a close game… depending on silver's next move the whole game could end in a moment or go on even longer… Who are you playing? Not Asuma-sensei."

Hiruzen chuckled, "No. Not Asuma… My opponent was the Yondaime Hokage and the next move was his… We had been playing while I was teaching him the ins and outs of the job. We were very evenly matched… This game was to break our tie of ten to ten. He had stopped by the house to go over some papers and such. We started the game fairly late and he wanted to go home to… well we agreed to meet and finish the game a couple of days later. The next day the Kyuubi came… I've been wondering every day since then what his move would be. Would you like to play a game?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise, "I wouldn't want to disturb this board…"

The Hokage smiled, "It's alright I've memorized where all the pieces are, and I've written it down as well."

Shikamaru nodded, "Alright. I'd like a game."

Shikamaru and the Hokage took their seats and reset the board. Their actions drew the attention of everyone in the room and they formed a crowd around the game. The game was over fairly quick. Shikamaru was able to take a couple of pieces early but even he hadn't been able to fully grasp the Hokage's subtle strategy.

When it was over Shikamaru sat back stunned, "You're much better than Asuma-sensei."

Asuma huffed and the others laughed. The Hokage smiled and lit his pipe, "You've got great skill for someone so young Shikamaru but you shouldn't be afraid to take the offensive in some cases. You can be too timid… or lazy."

"So my mother tells me."

The Hokage smiled, "Still you're much better than your teacher… perhaps you might be a little wiser. Tell me, if all the people in Konoha were shogi pieces who would be the king?"

Kurenai turned a worried eye to Asuma. The man had told her about the arguments that the two had had in his youth, and the disappointment that his father had always shown at his answer to the current question.

To her surprise Asuma showed only curiosity in his eyes.

Shikamaru thought for a moment before answering, "The king is the most important piece so I would say the king is the Hokage."

Hiruzen stood and walked over to the fireplace smoking his pipe. He looked at the three large photos of the dead Hokage's up on the mantle. "I see. Let's see what Konoha's other finalist think the answer is."

The man turned to Sasuke, "What do you think Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was silent then spoke in a firm tone, "I think the king is the strongest ninja. They can change and shape the village as they see fit."

Hiruzen spoke softly thinking of his rival Danzo, "A hard answer for a hard world. What do you think Tenten-chan?"

The girl responded quickly, "The king is the shinobi corps itself. They provide protection to the village as well as numerous other services such as health care and economic benefits."

The Hokage took another puff, "A broad answer that shows you value teamwork. Shino-kun?"

The boy adjusted his glasses, "The king is one's clan or family unit. It provides support until an individual is ready to add its own strength to the whole."

"An answer that many of the old clans would find true. What do you think Naruto?"

The boy scratched the back of his head nervously, "I don't know much about shogi, but… I do know that if you lose the king the game is over so you have to protect that with everything. So I would say for me that the king is the village itself… My friends, my teachers, the monument, and all the places I love, even you Jiji."

With his back to the crowd no one could see the surprised smile that grew on the old man's face,

'Naruto… you've grown so much in these past few months.'

His eyes moved to the large framed photos of the other Hokage's that rested above the mantle.

'Our will still burns brightly… Minato you would be so proud of your son.'

The Hokage turned back to the crowd, "That is a difficult path Naruto. It will never be easy and it will cost you dearly…"

Naruto stared back at the old man with a smile on his face, "It doesn't matter. I can't live my life any other way."

The Hokage nodded and chewed on his pipe, thinking, finally he spoke, "When you next report for duty seek out Nara Shikaku and follow his orders… learn from him."

The adults in the room all shared a glance.

The Hokage continued, "Now it's getting late. You all should head home and get some rest. You've earned it and in our profession it's not easy to find time to relax. You can never know when your next mission will present itself."

The genin and Naruto bid the older ninja a goodnight and began to file out. The Sand Siblings followed their father's orders and made for the entrance to wait for him. After they all left the Hokage spoke.

"Kazekage-dono I trust your operation is progressing smoothly?"

The man nodded, "Yes the purge is almost done and Baki was also able to get one of the traitors to reveal how they were to single their allies. We can use that to spring some ambushes. Now I must go and prepare my children for this evening."

The Hokage nodded and the Kazekage left the room. Hiruzen turned to his ninja.

"Homura and Kotaru… I want the two of you to go ahead and proceed to the shelters and oversee the evacuation of the civilians and the genin. Asuma I want you to meet up with Gai at the Tower and be ready to join the response teams if some of our foes are able to pierce our first defense line. Kurenai I want you to join Kakashi at the main gate and join his ambush squads and when he leaves to join the main attack squads I want you to take over and lead our ambush forces back into the walls."

Everyone nodded and Kotaru spoke, "Where will you be?"

"I will be on the top of the tower with the Kazekage waiting for Orochimaru to show himself."

Asuma spoke loudly, "You can't seriously be expecting to fight him! There's no way you can take him!"

"Humph. It's hearting to know how much faith my ninja place in my abilities."

Asuma returned, "We all know that there are only a handful of ninja who would be able to beat you, but Orochimaru is at the top of that list!"

The Hokage shook his head, "No. He is at the very bottom of that list. He is nothing more than a rabid dog only concerned about his own well being. I would never lose to a creature like him. Besides if it makes you feel better the Kazekage will be with me and Jiraiya is around as well."

Asuma responded, "In that case there's no need for you to put yourself in the line of fire Jiraiya-sama can deal with Orochimaru."

The old man sighed, "Asuma… Please understand. You have students of your own now. Could you ever allow a situation to play out where one of them would be responsible for the others death? Jiraiya would kill Orochimaru immediately if he had the chance, but in his heart of hearts he would always hate himself. He already blames himself for to much."

"And yourself? What about your heart? Are you so eager to add more regret to your own soul?"

The old man shook his head, "Of course not but I would prefer it be my burden than anyone else's. Like Naruto I can't live any other way."

The Hokage made for the door but he stopped as Asuma called out, "Speaking of Naruto why did you tell him to join Shikaku when he reported to duty knowing that would be tonight? He's just a rookie and he should be with the genin in the shelter. Wouldn't you regret that knowing that it could be avoided?"

Hiruzen turned to his son with a smile on his face, "It would be a terrible blow… However I know Naruto and I know he wouldn't hide in a cave when the village is being threatened. So I've sent him to someone who will help him grow and I have faith he will come through this even stronger. I have faith that the village itself will be made stronger through tonight's events."

Hiruzen left the room in silence.

* * *

Temari sat with her brothers in silence contemplating what their father had told them of the coming attack on the leaf and civil war in the sand.

Kanbei continued, "I understand this is a lot to take so while you wait for the signal to evacuate I suggest you get some rest and try to calm your minds. When the time comes follow the civilians to the shelters. Once you get there join the other genin and follow the orders that the chuunin there give you. Do you understand? "

Kankurou spoke up, "Why can't we fight?"

The Kazekage sighed, "I understand that sitting in the background isn't easy. However we have already come up with plans to deal with this attack and they have no place for you in them. Don't worry though. You will be needed once we return home. Now get some rest."

As the kage turned to leave Temari spoke to her brothers, "I'm going to my room." She then followed her father into the hall.

"Father I saw a photo in the mansion."

The man stopped, "And?"

Temari bit her lip, "Did you have me spy on Naruto because you believed he might be related to the Yondaime Hokage?"

Her father faced her, "What makes you say that?"

"They… have the same features and Jiraiya of the Sannin choose to teach him for the exam… something he hasn't done since the Yondaime died…"

The man stared at his daughter for a long time before he made his way for the door, "If you value your friend's life Temari keep that theory to yourself. Don't even mention it to him. You have nothing solid to back it up and there are those that even the memory of Namikaze is enough to inspire fear and terror."

Temari watched her father leave in silence. She walked into her room and sat at the foot of her bed. After several moments in silence she took a sheet of paper and wrote out a note to her brothers. Then she changed into her standard mission attire. She then made her way to the rooftops from her window.

* * *

Naruto sat in silence eating some of his instant ramen. Despite the food present at the party he was still hungry and had decided to reward himself for his promotion with his best instant ramen. The broth warmed his stomach and made him feel like he was back to one hundred percent. He actually was fairly close to being that. His bruises were gone and his bones no longer ached. His chakra had recovered to about seventy percent.

As he finished his bowl he laid it in his sink with a fairly large pile of dirty dishes and made his way for his bed. He was stopped by rapid knocking at his door. He made his way to answer the rapping and found Temari standing in his doorway wearing her usual clothes. He felt his face heat up.

What the girl had said to him earlier had made him extremely uncomfortable in ways that he couldn't really explain, and it confused him to know end.

"Temari? What are you doing here?"

The girl looked unsure as she stepped through the door, "I'm sorry for coming so late but I had to speak with you."

"Okay… what about?"

Temari shifted her feet nervously unsure of whether she should just come out and voice her suspicions, "You trained with Jiraiya for the exams right?" Naruto nodded. "You didn't train with him before did you? Had you met him before?"

Naruto was confused, "No. I just met him when we began training for the finals we crossed paths and got into a conversation and he found out who I was. He knew what I was and decided to train me. Why?"

Temari nodded and took a deep breath, "When we were at the party I saw a photo of Jiraiya and his genin team. The-"

The girl was cut off by a high pitched alarm. Both genin grabbed their ears and Temari yelled, "What is that sound!"

Naruto ran to his bed and grabbed his new vest and pair of dark blue pants. He the bolted for his rest room yelling, "It's the level one evacuation alarm. It means that all ninja below the rank of jounin are to help civilians evacuate to the shelters. Genin then are organized as a final line of defense. Chuunin then report to their divisions' commanding officers."

He emerged with his new vest ready for duty. He then led Temari out into his apartment's hallway into a mass of civilians. An ancient woman was waddling down the hall.

Naruto picked her up and quickly made his way down the stairs with Temari in hot pursuit. Naruto was yelling, "Remember the blocks go in order everyone on the Maple block goes to Bunker C2, Holly C3, and Redwood to C4. Keep calm if anyone needs help carrying your emergency kit, small children, or elderly let me know and we'll help."

Despite the old woman's muttered protests she didn't resist Naruto carrying her. Several people with small children asked for aid in carrying their kits. Naruto handed the old woman off to Temari and summoned about twenty shadow clones, and led the group toward the village's bunkers. As they got closer they began to merge into other groups making their own way into the bunkers. There were several ninja escorting them including Tenten who was also helping Rock Lee. The foursome made their way through the street and finally reached the bunkers' entrances. Tenten, Naruto, and Lee watched as their charges made their way inside. Temari was drawn away by her brothers. Gaara wore his usual look but Kankurou was red faced and yelled at his sister.

"What the hell were you thinking? You should have told us you were leaving! Instead you just leave a note!"

Temari slapped the back of his head, "Keep your voice down. I had to take a walk. I drank way to much wine at the party. I just made my way down to the bunkers a little early. I ran into Naruto and some of the others escorting people down and joined in. It's no big deal."

Kankurou responded, "It could have been though, what if-"

Gaara cut him off, "It wasn't though. Let's just drop it we're all safe for the moment and that should be enough."

Kankurou looked like he wanted to complain but in the end swallowed his complaints and nodded. The Suna team then noticed the ever growing queue of genin around a small group of chuunin and made their way over to join it.

Iruka let out a silent sigh as he confirmed all his current students had reached their particular bunkers. He now turned his attention to his recent graduates. Team ten and eight had arrived. Sasuke and Naruto had both arrived and were in the middle of conversation with Neji. Sakura would probably be along shortly. Her home was a decent distance from the shelters and she was probably staying close to her parents. After a lot of pleading and cajoling Tenten and Neji had convinced him to allow Lee to stay with the other genin in their bunker. He was drawn from watching his former charges by the arrival of Izumo and Shiranui Genma.

Genma reported, "We have ninety percent checked in and judging from the people waiting to enter we have about ninety-eight percent here."

Izumo spoke next, "The orphanage and hospital have been evacuated and we have moved almost all the emergency stocks to the bunkers and our various command outposts."

Iruka nodded, "Alright, I'll stay here and organize the genin for the last line of defense. You two should tell the others to complete their duties here and proceed to their defensive assignments.

The two nodded and moved away while Iruka was joined by Kotetsu. Iruka called the genin over to join them.

"Alright listen up! Your job during the course of this operation is to man the defenses of the shelter complex until we receive the all clear single. Your jobs will be to patrol the tunnels for trouble, set up traps, check points, and relay messages between the command center and the chuunin in charge of the various operation centers. Any questions?"

A genin about the age of 13 with brown hair spoke, "Is this a drill?"

Iruka shook his head, "No. This is the real deal and the city is under martial law. All civilians are under your direct supervision and protection their safety is your highest priority."

The young ninja all looked around at each other nervously. Naruto cleared his throat and questioned, "Where is Nara Shikakau?"

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up and Iruka and Kotetsu shared a look before Iruka questioned, "Why do you need to know that?"

Naruto responded, "Jiji told me to report to him when I was next on duty. I'm on duty so where is he?"

Kotetsu shrugged, "He's at the command center for the market distract. On the roof of-"

Iruka cut him off, "Naruto I don't think the Hokage meant for you to find Nara-sama so soon. I'm sure he meant after your time off."

"No. He said the "next time" I report to duty. I'm pretty sure he knew this was coming."

Iruka frowned while Kotetsu nodded, "The kid's right. Look over by the second gate and find Yi-san he is stationed with Shikaku and he'll show you the way."

As Naruto tuned to leave Iruka spoke, "Naruto, I know you want to prove your new rank right away but no one will hold it against you if you hold off. You haven't been given your official paper work confirming your promotion or been officially assigned somewhere."

Naruto smiled at his teacher, "I would hold it against myself. Don't worry Iruka-sensei I'll be alright."

Naruto left the group with a wave to his friends. As he got toward the back of the large group of genin he stopped by Gaara and his siblings.

Naruto stared into Gaara's eyes and smiled, "I hate to ask you for such a big favor Gaara but could you look after things here?"

Gaara nodded, "Don't worry. Just watch yourself."

Naruto nodded, "Don't worry."

He then made his way into the city. Temari could do nothing but frown in worry.

* * *

Orochimaru stood before his Sound Four cloaked in darkness.

"Soon the forces from Suna and the rouge ninja I've hired will be launching an all out assault with a token number of our Oto nin. Once my serpents pierce the city walls you four will create a barrier cutting off the gate from the rest of the city and the outside. Once that happens the forces deeper inside the city will make their way to the barrier to try and dispel it. Once they get closer to the wall I will summon Manda himself to have him rampage and destroy as many enemies as he can. While that is going on I will make my appearance before my sensei and the Kazekage. Once they are dead I will send the fallback single and you four will retreat back to Oto."

The large hulking figure of Jirobo questioned, "I thought the plan was to destroy the entire village?"

Orochimaru smirked bitterly, "That was my original goal but since I was unable to gain all of Suna's forces that has become unfeasible. However as long as I get rid of the old man Konoha will still fall, and it will be a slow painful thing. Despite what that grasping old ghoul Danzo thinks he does not have the ability to lead this village there is no ninja here that can take over for the Hokage. It makes it so funny that Danzo has laid this path open to me."

* * *

**AN: Hello all! Sorry it's been so long. Originally this chapter was much longer but as the Kazekage's fighting style has been shown I've had to rewrite a lot and I'm ready to get this chapter out. I still have a few reviews to answer from the last chapter but I will get them. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this one and review it happily. Please ask if you have questions. Thanks ahead of time.**


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